Let’s just get to the World Cup — then we’ll see where we are SAYS ERIC DIER
ERIC DIER has yet to complete two years as an England player, but he’s seen enough to know not to start blowing any trumpets about his team just yet.
The Tottenham midfielder’s first experience at senior international level was to be part of Roy Hodgson’s squad that went to Euro 2016 with a 100% record in qualifiers, then flopped miserably in France.
So he will reserve judgment on this current team, even if they beat Slovakia at Wembley tomorrow to make qualification for next summer’s World Cup Finals a near-formality.
“Until we get to the World Cup, it’s very hard to say where we are. Because you only really find that out in a competition scenario,” he says.
“Even when you play friendlies against the big nations you can’t really compare it to playing in a competition.
“England are in a transition stage, with a lot of young players coming through and lots of new faces.
“Obviously with Wayne Rooney retiring, there aren’t many of his generation left – just Joe Hart, really.
“But I think we are on the right track and, hopefully, we can qualify for the World Cup. After that, we’ll see where we are.”
Rooney’s decision to end his England career on 119 caps has crystallised the need for the rest to step up and show leadership qualities – hence Gareth Southgate’s policy of sharing the captain’s armband around.
“I don’t think Wayne was holding us up by the shirts or anything,” Dier smiles. “But obviously there is now the chance for other players to try to step into those shoes – and they are pretty big shoes.
“It’s up the players in this squad, and those trying to break into it, to take up the challenge and try to bring England on.
“There are lots of people in the dressing room who talk, but I’m not a big fan of the idea that if you are vocal, you are automatically a leader. I don’t really agree with that.
“People can be leaders in many ways. I think we have people who show their leadership skills.
“Wayne’s retirement is really sad for English football because it’s the end of an era. He was such a fantastic player and broke so many records.
“But I’m sure he knows himself better than anyone, and I’m not going to disagree with him!
“What people don’t see is the kind of things Wayne would do with young players when they come to England for the first time.
“The way he would look after us was fantastic. You never imagine when you first join up with England that Wayne would be looking out for you.
“I thought he was brilliant in that way with all of us. He’ll be really missed in that sense.”
Dier missed Friday’s qualifier in Malta through suspension, but is available for the Slovakia game.
It’s the first time he will have played at Wembley for his country since his club made it their temporary home.
The 23- year- old absolutely refuses to buy into any of the negativity surrounding Tottenham’s less-than-impressive record under the arch.
“My view is that I’m lucky to get the chance to play there every other week,” he says. “I enjoy it every time I play there. “Wembley is different but only for good reasons. It’s so special to play there with all the history it has.
“With Spurs, people just want to jump on the Wembley thing. But if you look at last season when we played there in the Champions League, we weren’t in a good period as a team, full stop.
“I thought we played extremely well for the whole game against Chelsea, even though we lost. Against Burnley we didn’t kill the game off, so we drew.
“It’s just grass and four lines. It’s a bigger pitch than White Hart Lane, but we’re a fit squad and we’re adjusting to the bigger distances just fine.
“At our training ground they’ve changed the pitches so they’re the same size as Wembley, so you can’t find any excuses.”
Playing at Wembley with Spurs is not quite the same experience for Dier and his England colleagues because they use opposite dressing rooms.
England use the East changingroom because for internationals as the East end of the stadium is designated the “home” end.
For Spurs matches, the home end is the West end, so they use the other changing room.
“That’s the only real difference,” he says. “But they do a great job in transforming the stadium when we play there, including the changing areas, so I really don’t think it matters which room we’re in.
“There are plenty of Tottenham lads in this England squad and Wembley is special to all of us.
“Hopefully we can all play a big part for England in the years to come. But we have to keep working very hard to warrant our places in the squad.
“I don’t think the fact there are quite a few of us (Dier, plus Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Kieran Trippier and, when fit, Danny Rose) means that there’s any sort of clique.
“This is probably the most diverse squad I have been in. There are players from 15 different clubs and everyone gets on really well.”
Dier is perceived to be one of deeper thinkers among the modern generation of footballers.
He’s well-educated, mature due to having to fend for himself as a
People can be leaders in many ways. I think we have people who show leadership skills.
teenager at Sporting Lisbon, and the perfect role model for youngsters.
But despite the accusation that players are overpaid and live in a bubble, Dier insists he’s not an exception.
“We could talk about this issue all day because it’s so complex,” he says.
“Everyone knows we are role models. We need to try to carry ourselves in the right way because millions of kids are looking up to you.
“I think every footballer takes that very seriously, and rightly so.
“But at the end of the day we are just young boys.
“In football you’re seen as being in the middle of your career at 25, but from a life point of view you are still young and are going to make mistakes.
“It’s how people handle that which really shows their character. In general I believe that footballers are really fantastic role models.
“It’s difficult because it’s almost like there are two worlds. You’re inside the football world and you’re inside the world as a whole.
“In the football world, people compare themselves with others within the industry. You judge your club or your salary from within the business, as a tennis player or a writer would.
“If another sport was gaining the revenue football is people would be earning similar amounts of money.
“When we see a player like O usman e D embe lego to Barcelona for £140m, that’s just where the industry is at the moment.
“It’s not Dembele’s fault that he’s good at football and someone is willing to pay £140m for him. That’s the world we live in. At the end of the day it’s a business.
“Footballers are the last people to blame for the high fees. They have no say in that. It’s to do with people way up the food chain.
“Jamie Carrag her said something recently about us being extremely-gifted as footballers, not necessarily as humans. It can be very difficult to handle some situations related to the money, the fame etc.
“I think people need to remember that sometimes.”