Former Newcastle United striker Alan Shearer has criticised Eric Dier’s decision making in the build up to Manchester United’s first goal against Tottenham Hotspur yesterday evening.
A neat flick from Fred saw Ronaldo pick up the ball from 30 yards out, with Dier the nearest Spurs player to the Portuguese and failed to close down the space to try and block a shot on goal.
Ronaldo made the most of the space when he unleashed a rocket of a shot which left Hugo Lloris helpless in the Tottenham goal as the ball sailed beyond him and into the back of the net.
Shearer said during his punditry appearance on BBC One’s Match of the Day (10:24pm, March 12, 2022): “Talk about Tottenham’s defending. Terrible. Dier has got to close him down. You cannot give anyone that amount of space.”
SpursWeb Opinion
Leaving Ronaldo with that much space to his disposal was criminal, Dier can be seen in two minds of whether to close him down or try and hold his position in defence.
Having had ample time to prepare for the match, Antonio Conte will have been left frustrated by the decisions of some of his players with Sergio Reguilon and Matt Doherty also at fault for United’s second goal.
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