Eric Dier has not yet played an important role under Bayern coach Vincent Kompany. But that will change on the first matchday of the new year on Saturday.
Anyone who had bet on him as FC Bayern’s first goalscorer of the new calendar year could have made a lot of money. In any case, very few people would have expected Eric Dier, who heralded Munich’s 6-0 victory in Salzburg on Monday with his header to make it 1-0.
The fact that Dier was in the starting line-up at the dress rehearsal for the Bundesliga restart wasn’t a big surprise, although the England international hardly played a role in head coach Vincent Kompany’s plans for the season so far. At the start of the competitive game on Saturday (from 6.30 p.m. in the live ticker on t-online) in Gladbach, Dier is suddenly urgently needed. Why? Because defense chief Dayot Upamecano received his fifth yellow card in the last home game of last year in the 5-1 win against RB Leipzig and will therefore now be missing due to suspension.
“I won’t say who will play tomorrow,” Kompany said at the final press conference on Friday. At the same time, he said meaningfully: “Upa isn’t there, so it’s not that difficult to find the solutions there.”
Kompany will undoubtedly rely on Dier as Upamecano’s representative. The 30-year-old and his partner Min-jae Kim should already be getting used to the training sessions. The two should now form the duo in central defense in Gladbach. However, it is already clear that Dier will then have to return to his role as a substitute player.
Things were completely different under Kompany’s predecessor Thomas Tuchel. At that time, last year’s winter newcomer was still undisputedly placed in the center of defense. After Upamecano and Kim made numerous game-winning mistakes, Tuchel put his two regular central defenders on the bench.
Dier justified the trust, made no mistakes and impressed with his strength in duels, overview and his outstanding opening of the game.
He still plays almost no role under Kompany this season. He only started twice when Upamecano was injured. Curiously, this was the case in both of Bayern’s away games in Mainz. In the cup victory (4-0), Dier did his job confidently. However, his lack of match practice was definitely noticeable in the defeat (1:2) in the league shortly before Christmas.
In his offensive system, in which very large spaces have to be defended, Kompany clearly relies on the slightly faster Upamecano and Kim. This is just an emergency solution for him. In addition to his two starting eleven appearances, the Englishman was only substituted seven times and played a total of just 215 minutes.
That’s why the signs for him are clearly pointing to farewell. An extension of his contract, which is only valid until the summer, is currently unlikely.
“Of course we have confidence in Eric,” Kompany said before the second Mainz game in December, recalling Dier’s important role under his predecessor: “He even played in the semi-finals of the Champions League last season.”
Dier continues to be very popular in the team – and not just with his compatriot and long-time friend Harry Kane. Joshua Kimmich recently described Dier as “one of the best teammates I’ve ever had”. Despite his substitute role, Dier never lets himself down in training and is highly professional.
“A mindset like that helps us move forward as a group. Even if he hasn’t played that many minutes, he is incredibly important for us as a team,” said Kimmich. “If you call him tonight and tell him to come to training at 6 o’clock, he’ll be there and give 100 percent.” The same applies on Saturday at 6.30 p.m. in Gladbach.