Former West Ham United striker, Frank McAvennie, has insisted that Eric Dier has never had the attributes to be a central defender.
Tottenham’s backline came in for plenty of criticism over the course of last season, with their central defenders being guilty of several unforced errors.
The North London club reinforced their defence with the addition of Cristian Romero in the summer but the Argentine is yet to start a Premier League game for the club, partly owing to the impressive displays of Dier and Sanchez.
The pair helped Nuno Espirito Santo’s men to keep three clean sheets in their first three league games of the season.
Both players were sorely missed by the Lilywhites at Selhurst Park on Saturday as Sanchez was unavailable due to quarantine requirements after travelling to South America during the international break while Dier came off injured just past the ten-minute mark.
To compound matters, Japhet Tanganga was sent off in the second half, leaving the away side with a centre-back pairing of Ben Davies and Joe Rodon for the final half-hour.
Palace then took full advantage as they put three past Hugo Lloris in the Tottenham goal.
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Although Sanchez and Cristian Romero are expected to be available for the London derby against Chelsea on Sunday, Dier remains a doubt for the match (Football.London).
Despite the strong start that Dier has made to the season, McAvennie has now insisted that the England international is simply not good enough as a central defender.
The pundit told Football Insider: “They’re (Spurs) a team that is meant to know a lot about football, they are always on about football excellence.
“Eric Dier has never been a centre half. When you watch him you can see that he just hasn’t got it. They have tried to make a space for him in the team.
“They don’t need him in the midfield, and he doesn’t do it at the back. He never has been a defender and never will be.”
Spurs Web Opinion
While Dier did make some errors in the second half of last season, some people seem to forget how good he was until December when Spurs were sitting at the top of the table. If Dier eliminates his occasional lapses in his concentration, I believe he has all the attributes to be a top central defender.
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