Two candidates with varying hopes of securing a place in Gareth Southgate’s England squad hit the headlines as Tottenham Hotspur suffered an injury time defeat in Portugal, losing 2-0 to Sporting CP in the Champions League.
The first of those, Eric Dier, would have been satisfied to leave his former club with a clean sheet intact. Instead, a late collapse that saw Sporting score twice in the final three minutes has thrown doubt upon Tottenham’s Champions League hopes, even if Dier’s individual performance was okay.
The defender took a different route to the Premier League, having learnt his trade in Lisbon, before Spurs took a chance on him in 2014. Now, after falling out of favour in the Three Lions set-up, he is on the brink of returning to Southgate’s thoughts at the perfect time.
READ MORE:
- 8-2 See You Go: Barcelona Signing Lewandowski Shifted The Bayern Balance
-
Champions League Giants Liverpool And Ajax Share An Uncertain Future
-
When Ian Wright broke Arsenal’s scoring record with Highbury hat-trick
The World Cup is now just a couple of months away and the man who Southgate has relied upon so often, has found form under Antonio Conte. Given England’s lack of options in that area, he looks likely to be recalled for the Nations League games against Italy and Germany and could establish himself ahead of Qatar.
He’s a reliable option. Always has been for his country. In terms of centre-backs, only Harry Maguire and John Stones have made more appearances than Dier’s 33 since Gareth Southgate took over and he has become a reliable figure in Conte’s back three.
Southgate relied on him in a utility man role in 2018 where he scored England’s decisive penalty in that first World Cup shootout win and it would not be a surprise to see him rewarded over the next week with a call-up. If Dier is at the centre of Southgate’s thoughts then Marcus Edwards is a player that is on the periphery of his vision.
The winger and former starlet has gone taken the opposite path to Dier. The one-time Tottenham starlet now finds himself shining at Sporting. The man Mauricio Pochettino once compared to Lionel Messi suffered under the pressure of that tag and never made an impact in England, but is now finding his feet in the Champions League after taking the long route to the top.
A move that had everything but the finish.
What a goal this would have been!
#UCL
He won the U19 Euros with England in 2017 but left Spurs in 2018 after failed loan spells at Norwich and Excelsior, and moved to Vitoria de Guimares on a permanent basis. In Portugal, away from the spotlight, he has finally found a home. This January, he had impressed enough that Sporting spent €7m on him and now, he finds himself as part of an exciting attacking trio.
His obvious talent, that Spurs rarely saw as a youngster, nearly came back to bite his former side as he embarked on a Messi-esque run at the end of that first period. Firstly he beat Dier, then he weaved past two others, before playing a quick one-two that gave him a golden opportunity in the box. An extra touch took him past another challenge before he poked the ball towards goal, only to be denied by Hugo Lloris - the last line of defence.
In that weaving run, he proved exactly why he is beginning to catch the eye around Europe. When Sporting thumped Eintracht Frankfurt 3-0 away from home in their first match of this year’s Champions League, Edwards scored the first, and he nearly scored a magnificent second on home soil.
For Spurs, this was a night to forget. They didn’t quite have that cutting edge to make Sporting pay. Emerson Royal had two early attempts stopped at the start of the second half while Heung-min Son’s poor form continued and he was taken off just after the hour-mark. His replacement Dejan Kulusevski made a difference off the bench and caused Ruben Amorim’s side problems but it was the home side who stole all three points in added time.
Lloris had to make a sprawling save but from the corner as the clock struck 90, Paulinha headed the ball into the corner to earn the home side a famous win. If that was impressive, the second added by Arthur Gomes was a piece of individual brilliance. He nutmegged Emerson Royal before slotting the ball through the legs of Lloris - who had performed admirably throughout.
From nowhere, Sporting secured a famous three points that puts them top of the group. Spurs go back to the drawing board having lost a point in agonising fashion.
