da luck： This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
da brdice： Eric Dier could be a key man under Jose Mourinho this season for Tottenham Hotspur.
On the chalkboard
The defensive midfielder played the entire 90 minutes as Spurs got the Portuguese’s reign off to the perfect start on Saturday, beating West Ham United 3-2 in a consistently entertaining London derby.
Dier, who had played in just three league games prior to Saturday’s encounter, enjoyed a strong display in the centre of the pitch alongside Harry Winks.
He had the second-highest touches of the ball for Spurs, with 73, and had a pass accuracy of 80%, per WhoScored.
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More than that, though, the £27m-rated man also won nine aerial duels, won one tackle, made three clearances and also made one interception.
Alongside Winks, he sat deep and regularly looked to cut off the Hammers’ passing lanes, while also dominating in the air.
A Swiss army knife
Dier is excellent because of his versatility.
Not only can he play in defensive midfield but he also has the ability to play in central defence or even at right-back.
It remains to be seen if Mourinho will ever need to move him but the fact that he has turned in a strong first showing suggests that, if he needed to, he would be able to.
Dier is the kind of player that has to be trusted by his manager to succeed – his role is one where confidence and consistency are key.
That, of course, becomes difficult if the performances are not there to go along with it but, on Saturday, he was excellent. His fabulous numbers showed what a weapon he could be under Mourinho if given the right platform.
The signs are already promising.