Eric Dier had another solid game for Tottenham, in their 3-1 victory over Leicester and is continuing to prove critics wrong, under Antonio Conte. The defender has been producing a number of good defensive displays alongside Ben Davies and Cristian Romero, which is what Spurs need to keep up, in the final four games of the season.
Dier has now made 36 appearances this season, starting in every Premier League match he has featured in. The 28-year-old has faced a lot of criticism from fans in the past, but has made a major improvement under Conte and is now one of the first names on the team sheet.
The Lilywhites are still fifth in the league and remain two points behind fourth-placed Arsenal. Tottenham still have to play the rescheduled North London Derby and face a trip to Anfield, in their ongoing battle for a spot inside the top four.
READ MORE: Tottenham player ratings: Son shines yet again, Romero impresses and Kane back on the scoresheet
Against Brendan Rodgers' side, Dier made eight interceptions, as well as one clearance and a key tackles. At the other end of the pitch, the defender had two shots, produced four accurate long balls and had 77.8 per cent passing success.
Tottenham went into the Leicester clash on the back of a 0-0 draw against Brentford and their last two fixtures involved a lack of energy and desire. Sunday's match was a more positive display, with more fight amongst the Spurs team, which Graham Roberts commented on after the game.
"We should've done that against Brighton but we never and it cost us. Then we had Brentford away and we started slow again," Roberts admitted, on N17 Live.
"If you start slow in a game, it's very hard to get out of that momentum. Your body tells you 'we're going to play slow'."
The former Tottenham defender went on to give his verdict on the Spurs' performance and gave special mention to the 28-year-old. "Today, it started with Eric Dier, straight away he got a ball and he passed it forward at pace and all of a sudden the whole team lifted," he explained.
"I thought that was his best game I've seen for a few weeks. With Eric, I think he's a great player but I like to see him play with a lot more tempo and today he did that, because everything starts with him."
Dier shows his importance on and off the pitch, with he multi-lingual abilities helping to break the language barrier and his vocal side giving him a leadership role. "He can pass to the midfield. He can get Romero going, he can get Ben Davies going, but it all starts with Eric Dier," Roberts continued.
"I've got to say, he was one of the great players today." It was a good day all-round for the Tottenham defenders on Sunday, with the visitors having just six shots at goal.
Romero was another of the standout performers at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, producing two key tackles in the buildup to Son Heung-min's first goal and getting himself up the field when he could. Roberts was also full of praise for the Argentine, making a big claim about him.
"I would love to have played with him. Just think him, me and Paul Miller, we would've been a right three," the 62-year-old explained.
"What a player he is. What I have to laugh at, he'll make a tackle and then the next minute he's centre-forward and I think 'where you going?' but that's what he is.
"He's got passion, he loves playing football, he loves a tackle. I think he likes a fight in a game and we've been missing that for a few years," Roberts continued.
The defensive duo and Davies all played a solid game against Leicester and continue to prove why they are such key players under Conte.
On Monday afternoon, the 28-year-old took to Instagram with a picture from the game and captioned it, "That was fun, now let's get after it again." That is exactly what Tottenham need to do now, taking momentum from Sunday into their trip to Anfield next weekend and Conte will be relying on the likes of Dier to continue to perform well.
