Despite occupying possibly the most unfashionable position on the pitch outside of goalkeeper, Eric Dier has been England’s best player in Euro 2016. And it’s not even really close.
The defensive midfielder carried his fantastic club form for Tottenham Hotspur straight into the national team. He’s been the foundation upon which England has stood, helping carry them through to the knockout rounds, despite finishing second in the group behind upstarts Wales. Dier’s quiet confidence in the middle of the field, his brilliant reading of the game, and intelligent distribution have made him the most important player to England, and the rare player who makes everyone around him better.
While captain Wayne Rooney has shown well, and Daniel Sturridge has been a spark every time he’s stepped on the pitch, it’s been Dier who really holds this team together. Alongside Chris Smalling, Gary Cahill and Joe Hart, Dier has played every single minute of this tournament, with England leaning heavily on his calming influence in midfield to help steady the ship as they navigated the treacherous waters of Group B.
Dier bossed the midfield in England’s opening match against Russia, even netting their only goal from a spectacular (and spectacularly rare) howitzer of a free kick. After an average game by his high standards in England’s second match against Wales, Eric Dier took on more of a playmaker’s role from his deep-lying position against Slovakia. Dier completed 93.1 percent of his 102 passes, stroking the ball around with the poise and confidence one would typically expect from Rooney and Alli, who started from the substitutes bench, or even Jack Wilshere, who showed poorly in his first start of the Euros as the Three Lions struggled to a 0-0 draw.
Over his three matches for England in this tournament, Dier’s attempted 79.7 passes per game and recorded a fantastic 89.5 pass-success percentage. Patrolling the area in front of his back four, Dier’s averaged 1.7 tackles, interceptions and clearances each match to keep England from conceding more than the miserly two goals they have thus far. Beyond the numbers though, his discipline, intelligent distribution and decision-making has been crucial for England, especially given the presence of his more adventurous rotating cast of midfield partners.
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