Tottenham Hotspur will be looking to boost their top-four hopes with a win against struggling Bournemouth on Saturday afternoon and interim manager Cristian Stellini should consider dropping Eric Dier.
Spurs team news – Should Stellini drop Dier vs Bournemouth?
Following Antonio Conte's sacking in March, Stellini has so far stuck with the five-at-the-back formation in games against Everton and Brighton and Hove Albion, delivering four points.
However, they were fortunate to escape with all three points against Roberto de Zerbi's side last time out after the Seagulls saw two goals ruled out by VAR and a clear penalty on Kaoru Mitoma not given, so the Italian interim should perhaps consider changing things against the Cherries.
No side in the Premier League has conceded more than Bournemouth this season so to play five-at-the-back in a must-win game would be an extremely negative decision by the Spurs boss.
If he has to drop a centre-back based on current form, it would surely be Dier, as the England international has failed to earn above a 6.7/10 rating from WhoScored in any of his last five appearances for the north London outfit.
In fact, the former Sporting Lisbon man has failed to earn above a 7/10 average rating in the Premier League in nearly 10 years, with the 2015/16 campaign arguably his best in a Spurs shirt, which suggests that he has been trusted to start for far too long now.
Only Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg has averaged more passes per game than Dier this season which suggests that the Lilywhites are crying out for a creative midfielder to take the ball, rather than relying on the 29-year-old to dictate the play from the back.
He also ranks 15th for tackles in Spurs' squad which is a poor return for a defender, and given the pace that Bournemouth possess on the counter-attack, Stellini may be better served by selecting someone like Davinson Sanchez if he sticks with a three-man defence.
Given Spurs are still in contention for a top-four spot, it is shocking that only six teams have conceded more goals in the Premier League this season, which suggests that fingers must be pointed at the defence for their top-flight struggles.
Journalist Ryan Taylor was very critical of the English centre-back, who earns around £85k-per-week, in a recent interview with GiveMeSport, saying:
"Eric Dier is just nowhere near the required level for what Spurs are trying to achieve."
If Stellini wants to build on an impressive result against Brighton he must consider dropping Dier, as his recent form has been dreadful and it could cost Spurs in a must-win game against a Bournemouth side who have caused problems for the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal recently.
