A look at Eric Dier’s heroic display in Tottenham’s 2-0 win against Burnley

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Tottenham managed to secure a massive win at Turf Moor to reduce Chelsea’s lead at the top to seven points. Burnley have an excellent home record this season and Mauricio Pochettino made some huge calls to start Kieran Trippier, Harry Winks and Vincent Janssen. He would have been criticised if his team had lost on Saturday, but they managed to get the three points, underlining the squad depth that Spurs have. Although the afternoon featured Victor Wanyama and Winks picking up injuries, there were plenty of positives for the visitors to take.

Eric Dier has been one of the key players for Tottenham over the last two seasons and he delivered one of his best displays of the campaign on Saturday. He has been moved to a right centre back role in a back three and it suits his game to the ground. The England international has developed an excellent partnership with Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen since the change to a 3-4-2-1 formation. He will learn a lot from the Belgian pair as they are two of the best centre-backs in the league. It is important that Dier is given a permanent position as he has been used in a number of roles since joining Spurs and centre-back looks to be the best fit.

Defensively, the 23-year-old was faultless at Turf Moor, keeping the pair of Andre Gray and Ashley Barnes quiet. His aerial dominance was the standout part of his performance, as he successfully won six aerial duels during the match. This was more than any other player on the pitch and that underlines the aerial presence that the Englishman possesses. Burnley may have thought that they could threaten aerially and from set pieces, but Dier coped with them well.

He isn’t as accomplished as his two centre back partners at winning the ball back and he completed only two ball recoveries during the match. However, he was often in the right place at the right time to clear the ball. He completed nine clearances during the match and they were important in helping his team to a clean sheet.

Considering that he was used in a holding midfield position for most of last season, it isn’t a surprise that he is confident in possession. He showed that on Saturday as he completed 87% of his attempted passes, including one key pass. A formation with three at the back relies on having good ball-playing defenders and Dier certainly qualifies as that. He is positive in his passing and finished with the highest pass completion of any of the three Tottenham centre-backs. This will please his manager and shows his suitability to his relatively new role.

His defensive contribution and passing were both impressive, but it will be his goal that will take the headlines. The 23-year-old always poses a threat from set pieces and he finished smartly when the ball fell to him in the Burnley penalty area. It was a good time to score the first goal as it relieved the pressure on the rest of the team. The composure from Dier to score the goal was impressive and showed his confidence in attack.

Saturday was nearly perfect for Tottenham as two of their rivals dropped points and they managed to cut Chelsea’s lead to seven points. It remains unlikely that they will be able to catch the Blues, but they are doing their bit and they deserve credit for that. Dier is at the perfect club to fulfil his potential and the match at Turf Moor underlined the progress he has made since the change to a formation with three at the back.

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