Tottenham Hotspur: The curious case of Eric Dier and his downfall

Eric Dier is quickly becoming Tottenham and England's forgotten man.

Rewind to the 16th of August 2014. Mauricio Pochettino was taking charge of his first game with Tottenham Hotspur and they were facing long-time club rivals, West Ham. Dier, a 20-year old fresh-faced recruit from Sporting Lisbon, was making his debut at centre-back.

The game was at a stalemate heading towards the final whistle until the young Englishman made a marauding run into the opposition box and poked home his debut goal in extra time to win all three points.

It was a dream start to his Lilywhite career, handing Poch a win in his first game in charge while nabbing a debut goal to boot. The win at West Ham was the beginning of a new chapter at Tottenham as the club looked to usher in a new era.

Five seasons later and much has changed for Spurs. A new stadium, a first-time appearance in a Champions League final, multiple successive top-four finishes and their Argentinean boss is still around despite some of Europe's biggest clubs sniffing around. However, Tottenham's star man in Poch's first competitive game in charge is now finding himself by the wayside.

Dier, who has become Tottenham's Mr. Versatile, is now 25 years old and should be entering the prime of his career, nailed on as one of the first names in Spurs' starting eleven. However, he has now become the second or third choice in all of the positions he can cover.

In midfield, French duo Tanguy Ndombele and Moussa Sissoko, fellow England international Harry Winks and even academy product Oliver Skipp appear to have jumped the queue in front of him.

At right-back, Dier is up against Kyle Walker-Peters, who has finally been given his chance to cement the position as his own, while Poch is a huge admirer of young Argentine Juan Foyth. And at centre-back, he finds Belgian brothers-in-arms Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld, as well as Colombian powerhouse Davinson Sanchez ahead of him.

Dier's versatility has made him a valuable squad member, which has saved him from being hiked into the same 'for sale' bin as Victor Wanyama and Serge Aurier. But, that is all he looks like - a squad member.

The problem with Dier at Spurs is that his greatest attribute is also his greatest weakness - a jack of all trades but a master of none.

While a relatively solid option, he just is not technically gifted like some of the midfielders in front of him. He is not as reliable as the other centre-backs to be the last line of defence and he does not have the same athleticism as Tottenham's other options at full-back.

In his breakout Premier League season of 2015/16 Dier was a stalwart in the Spurs side – making 37 appearances out of a possible 38 – yet injuries last year restricted him to just 20 showings in the league and only 28 in all competitions. His injuries have continued into action pre-season and into the new season, with it looking likely he will miss Sunday's North London derby with ''irritation'' in the hip.

Dier is most dynamic when utilising his almost natural combativeness in games, yet his prowess to disrupt opposition players and the flow of play has been diminishing. In his first domestic season, he managed a tackle success rate of 80% which has diminished each campaign since, registering at just 59% last year. The 2018/19 season was also the only season where Dier lost more duels than he won, winning 73 but losing 97.

A man who was once seen as one of Spurs' finest up and coming youngsters has found himself floundering directly in the shadows of the England teammates he came up with.

But all is not doom and gloom. The fact remains that Dier is a good player and remains capable of becoming a first-team player at Spurs again. Moussa Sissoko should provide ample inspiration for any player finding themselves warming the bench more often than not.

The positional change which has been the key driver in Sissoko's success over the last season is no secret and it is the very same formula that Dier should be looking at to get back to the top his game.

While he has often stated his preferred position to be the middle of the field, Tottenham's depth in talent there makes it an unlikely option. And he doesn't have the attributes that Pochettino prefers in his full-backs. Perhaps it's about time Dier looked at centre-back as his most likely option for cementing himself as a first-team regular.

Pochettino has repeatedly said that this season marks a new chapter in Tottenham's progression. Dier was at the forefront of the Argentine's initial revolution at Spurs. Perhaps he can be once again.