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Eric Dier

Finney Is Back said:
Mate.... CMs should always cover for fullbacks, that is just the standard shape of a football team. You want our full backs exposed to one on one situations all game? The alternative (as Poch preferred) is that a CH instead pulls out wide to provide the cover and the CM slots in there to cover that space, but it seems to me that Jose likes to keep his two CH’s central (which I think makes sense to deal with crosses into the box).

We are finding it hard to get out with the ball because the whole team are so deep and there is rarely an outlet to pass to and whatever outlet we do have typically has to have his back to play with a defender very tight on him. Glenn Hoddle could be in the Sissoko role and we’d still find it hard to get out at the moment. We could perhaps move Ndombele back and ask him to dribble out but that is a high risk strategy when so deep. As I said in another thread we are playing low risk football at the moment and having some success with it.

*edit.... I think I remember you saying Aurier was the problem (as opposed to the fullbacks plural). Aurier is still here and still first choice, do you now concede that maybe he wasn’t actually the problem?
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See my comments in the Aurier thread
And we brought two new full backs because Jose wanted better ones. We couldn’t get a buyer for Aurier and it’s worked in out favour now. The guy IMO a has been the best in the league this season. It doesn’t excuse his woeful play last season though, except it’s possible he was tired from playing every game.
Davies is still a huge weak link at left back but the upgrade there with Reggie is huge
The options we have wide now are immense
The options at CM aren’t... we have the player who has IMO again been the best in the league in his role in PEH
Sissoko has been very solid and functional
And Ndombele abs Lo Celso have done their jobs well.
Sissoko though stands out as having more weakness than the higher and their weaknesses that cause us an issue with the ball. His work without the ball is as good as any player.
We don’t appear to be ready to play PEH, Lo Celso and Tanguy as a 3 yet which is a shame
I actually think the CBS are doing well. Certainly on par with every other centre back in the league (hasn’t been a stand out that I’ve seen).
I do feel we’re almost as good as we’re
Gonna be without significant investment now but if I was to prioritise I come back to Sissoko
I’d also take offers for Lamela and Moura and go for someone else who can pass and stay fit
 
It seems pretty obvious to me that no matter how well Dier plays he will always get criticism from some ( nothing changes).
 
parklane1 said:
It seems pretty obvious to me that no matter how well Dier plays he will always get criticism from some ( nothing changes).
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On the flip side, there are those posters who won’t ever admit if he has a bad game. I think him and Toby have been very good this season. Personally I think how we play benefits them and the defensive record we have is a large result of that but all the same both of them have kept the mistakes to a minimum. Still think we need at least one more CB as I don’t think either of them are elite. Toby was but he’s getting older. We need a Van Dijk level signing, a game changer at CB. Not saying we need to shell our £75m. Maybe we need to be smart like we where with Hojbjerg (didn’t break the bank).
 
Jurgen the German said:
On the flip side, there are those posters who won’t ever admit if he has a bad game. I think him and Toby have been very good this season. Personally I think how we play benefits them and the defensive record we have is a large result of that but all the same both of them have kept the mistakes to a minimum. Still think we need at least one more CB as I don’t think either of them are elite. Toby was but he’s getting older. We need a Van Dijk level signing, a game changer at CB. Not saying we need to shell our £75m. Maybe we need to be smart like we where with Hojbjerg (didn’t break the bank).
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Rodon?
 
parklane1 said:
It seems pretty obvious to me that no matter how well Dier plays he will always get criticism from some ( nothing changes).
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Who are those people? I haven’t really seen it and think, by and large, most have been pretty complimentary about him this season as a centre half. I think he has done pretty well overall. I do think either he or Toby need to be upgraded for a real top class player as our next improvement if we want to get to the top but it’s not the same level of gaping problem we clearly had at the base of the midfield last season. I also wouldn’t mind seeing how they do pushed 10 or 20 yards higher up and with our two central midfielders a little further from them... I’d love to be pleasantly surprised.
 
Danishfurniturelover said:
Is going to sound like I'm obsessed with bayern but Johnathan Tah is the right age height and pace and I believe has just 2 years left on his contract.

Yes they are my favourite German team:)
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I meant in the prem
But Bayern IMO don’t have one class CB for what my opinions worth. They moved Alaba there because everyone they had wasn’t good enough
Tah when I’ve seen him for Germany looks cumbersome and slow, but at club level looks decent
 
SteveAWOL said:
He really does have an unfortunate habit of getting caught under crosses...

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Criticism for the Fulham one is fine (though Sanchez should ahve stopped the cross anyway)

Criticism for the Sheff U one isn't. Davies has McGoldrick. Dier's job as the spare CB is to be in front of Davies to try to block crosses. By being in that position, 90% of crosses which would have come in from there would either have been blocked by Dier or gone over Davies/McGoldrick.

Dier and Rodon as two of our CBs are fine, however we need to sign 2 more CBs over the next 6-18 months to replace Sanchez and Toby. Tanganga is a 5th but used across the back-line
 
AdamB said:
Criticism for the Fulham one is fine (though Sanchez should ahve stopped the cross anyway)

Criticism for the Sheff U one isn't. Davies has McGoldrick. Dier's job as the spare CB is to be in front of Davies to try to block crosses. By being in that position, 90% of crosses which would have come in from there would either have been blocked by Dier or gone over Davies/McGoldrick.

Dier and Rodon as two of our CBs are fine, however we need to sign 2 more CBs over the next 6-18 months to replace Sanchez and Toby. Tanganga is a 5th but used across the back-line
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It's clearly by design too. That's how we line up for all crosses and corners from both sides.

Dier for SU (and Kane from all corners) takes up the position that's probably the most dangerous place for an attacker to head from and holds that ground.
 
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I think Dier has been quietly assured this season, and I hope he keeps being named in the team, but getting caught under crosses is a nasty habit, and should be eradicated. It also happened for the Saudi Sportswashing Machine goal/penalty incident, and for a corner in the first half yesterday where their number 6 could head it back to the front post (and my guess is that it happened more often, just can't remember right now). This is something that can be practiced, and I trust Mourinho to have pointed this out to Dier already (hence his emphasis in the interview yesterday on 'another mistake at the back'). If yesterday he would have taken one step back, he would probably have been fouled by McGoldrick, or would have obstructed him enough to not get a clean header on target. But what would really help is for Dier to have a Naybet-like partner alongside him.
 
SteveAWOL said:
He really does have an unfortunate habit of getting caught under crosses...

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For a big fellow, he is also surprisingly physically weak during defensive set pieces. My mind wondered if Dier knows how to jump?

I was checking PES stats. His defensive awareness now is worse than his first season at Spurs.

On football manager 2021, his jumping is 13 out of 20.
 
afsoc4life said:
For a big fellow, he is also surprisingly physically weak during defensive set pieces. My mind wondered if Dier knows how to jump?

I was checking PES stats. His defensive awareness now is worse than his first season at Spurs.

On football manager 2021, his jumping is 13 out of 20.
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What are his stats like on fifa 21?
 
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