Eric Dier Scores Opener for England

England began the their European Championship group stages with yet another draw.  They have never managed to win their opening group game at any tournament.  Against a very weak Russian team they came very close.  Both the England goal and the Russian goal involved Spurs players but with very different ends.

For the first time in decades the core of the England team consists of players from Tottenham Hotspur Football Club.   Five players from one team effectively mean that minus the goalkeeper the England first team is fielding half of the Spurs first team squad.  Of that squad, Harry Kane is the rising star, but it is Eric Dier who is emerging as the surprise package.

Dier was not playing in England and unusually began his football playing in Portugal because that is where he lived and where he was educated.  If today he is a surprise package, it is not because of his club manager placing him in a center half position because of injuries to his other players but because he learned football in a different manner than he would have done if he had learned to play in England. 

The Tottenham scouting system deserves credit for spotting an unknown English teenager playing his game in Portugal, the same way they deserve credit for making Delli Ali a priority.  Both Ali and Dier are now considered to be England regulars for the future.  With Harry Kane potentially attracting suitors such as Real Madrid, that is a very strong trio, without mentioning the two Spurs defenders who were picked for England.

In today's game, it was one of those defenders whose misjudgement gave Russia a point from their opening game that they did not deserve.  Out-matched and poorly positioned Danny Rose was left poorly exposed to a giant of a Russian who jumped above him, to head Russia's equalizer.  This led to the usual jests on online media about relating the past failures of Tottenham as a football team with the past failures of England.  Neither team has matched expectations even though there have been good players that have emerged in England.

Eric Dier has another quality about him which is he is a nice lad, well spoken and without an ego, but he does have a fierce determination to win, for that was etched onto his face as he realized that England had dropped points, but he also spoke eloquently that he does not look ahead and simply focuses on the next opponent, and this adage of "taking one game at a time" is a good lesson in any field of life but especially in professional football. 

England will have to regroup quickly because their next game is very difficult as games against fellow home nations are.  The arrival of Wales to meet England on the big stage will be a great motivator for the smaller nation of 3 million citizens.  Wales talisman is the former Tottenham golden boy Gareth Bale and Bale is passionate about playing for his country.  Real Madrid prized Bale away from Tottenham by offering what is still a world record fee.

Bale has since won the top club European prize twice with Real Madrid and despite his World Record fee is still the No.2 player at Real Madrid behind Cristiano Ronaldo, who will also feature at this European Championship tournament for Portugal later on in the week.  If England lose against Wales, they will need to win their final group game to ensure that they finish as one of the best 3rd place teams.  The danger of that happening is possible and if it does, then the criticism about England featuring so many footballers from Tottenham will earnestly begin.

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