Tony Cascarino was impressed with Eric Dier’s performance for Tottenham Hotspur against Real Madrid.
Popular football pundit Tony Cascarino has showered praise on Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Eric Dier for his brilliant performance against Real Madrid on Tuesday night.
Spurs put in a great performance to earn a 1-1 draw against Los Blancos at the Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League clash.
After absorbing early pressure, the north London club took the lead when Raphael Varane scored an own goal diverting Serge Aurier’s cross into his own net.
Real Madrid restored parity through Cristiano Ronaldo, who found the net from the penalty spot.
Mauricio Pochettino used a five-man defence, with Eric Dier drafted in central defence alongside Davinson Sanchez and Toby Alderweireld.
Dier plays as a central defensive midfielder for the England national team, but he did a very good job in the central defensive role as well.
Cascarino notes that competing with top players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema will help in Dier’s development ahead of the World Cup in Russia.
The former Chelsea player believes that Dier is “not quite at that level yet” while switching between defence and midfield, but adds that he showed his potential against Madrid.
“Eric Dier had a good game in the centre of Tottenham’s defence last night, and competing with the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema will help his development ahead of the World Cup in Russia next summer,” wrote Cascarino for The Times.
“Dier is not quite at that level yet, but he should use these games as a valuable lesson which he can take forward into whichever position he plays. Indeed, some of the best central defenders in the modern game can play in a deep midfield role and Dier showed his potential last night.”
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