Antonio Conte has come in and transformed the Tottenham team, from individual players, to the whole cohesion and strength of the squad. Spurs have welcomed six new arrivals to N17 this summer and with a few more weeks left of the window, there could still be more to come.
Eric Dier made 35 Premier League appearances last season and started in every one of his features. The defender became a pivotal part of Conte's back three, most often alongside Cristian Romero and Ben Davies.
The 28-year-old has faced his fair share of criticism over the years, but he is continuing to prove everyone wrong. Dier's multi-lingual abilities help with the likes of Romero in the team and his leadership means he is a vocal figure in the back line.
READ MORE: Antonio Conte makes big Eric Dier claim amid England snub as World Cup looms
Conte's system is all about playing as a team and this includes the defenders also helping in attack, when they can. This is exactly what Dier did in Tottenham's first game of the 2022/23 campaign.
The England international scored his side's second goal and it put them in front, before they went on to win 4-1. Dier was in the right position so that when Son Heung-min whipped the ball in the box, the defender was there to put get his head on it and slot it into the back of the net.
Dier is clearly someone Conte can trust as a key centre back in his squad and he had high praise for the defender, back in March, when the 28-year-old missed out on the England squad.
"Honestly I hope for the players to receive this call up. He’s working very hard and in this moment he’s one of the best defenders in the league," the Spurs boss admitted. "He has also big space to improve his performance and his quality and to become a stronger and stronger player.
"In the past, I had the chance to coach the national team and I understand that sometimes you have a plan. At the moment, Southgate is preparing and he has a plan to prepare a squad for the World Cup in December.
"He knows Eric very well and he has not to discover Eric because he was previously in the national team. I’m sure if Eric continues to play this way, he has a great possibility to go to the World Cup because, I repeat, he’s one of the best defenders in this league," Conte added.
That was last season, when Dier saw a major improvement in his game. He has already shown consistency and Saturday proved that his hard work over the summer is still paying off.
Everyone wants to get the chance to play at the World Cup and with it being midway through the season, Dier now has just a few months to continue to impress. If the defender continues to play how he does, there will be a lot of people who will be surprised if he doesn't make the England squad, especially with his central defence competitors.
Not only does his quality on the pitch give reason as to why he should be selected, a few years ago Conte identified a key attribute for the national squad that Gary Cahill had, that Dier also has.
"I know when you have to go to play a World Cup or European Championship, it's important to have players with great experience because the pressure will become very strong for everyone. I'm sure that the coach will take the best decision for the national team," Conte said, in 2018.
"This season has been important for players to try to take on leadership. It wasn't simple to make this type of substitution with John Terry because we are talking about a great leader. I think Gary developed a lot this year."
The Italian stressed the importance of experience in a World Cup side and explained that Cahill's improvement and leadership are all reasons he deserved to be called up for the national team, qualities that Dier also has. The Tottenham man has 45 England caps so not only does he have a wealth of experience across various competitions with his club, he also has experience playing for the national side.
Praise for Dier has continued this season, with Darren Bent speaking on talkSPORT this week, about Gareth Southgate recalling the 28-year-old.
"Eric Dier for me, he has to be in the squad for England and he has to go to the World Cup," he said. "If he's playing well, as he is at the minute and Spurs are progressing and doing what they're doing at the top end of the table, he can't get overlooked because he's been a key component as to why Spurs are where they are right now."
There is a slight concern over how Dier would do in a back four, rather than a back three, but it looks as though he has improved as a defender all-round. Dier was part of the 2018 World Cup squad and even captained his country during the tournament, so Southgate has seen what Dier can do for both club and country.
The 28-year-old is only getting stronger and with all the qualities he possess, would be a strong addition to Southgate's side. Dier just needs to keep doing what he is doing and hope that when the time comes, he will get the call-up he deserves.
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