Tottenham defender Eric Dier says criticism of his performances is ‘a bit unfair’

Tottenham defender Eric Dier believes he has been judged harshly for his performances this season.

Dier made a number of costly errors which led to goals, notably in defeats against Liverpool, Chelsea and West Ham, and received plenty of criticism for them.

Former boss Jose Mourinho cut him and replaced him with the team and also said he suffered from a lack of confidence – something Dier later denied.

However, the England international has found himself in the team under interim boss Ryan Mason and has looked much more assured.

“I’m really happy to have played the last three. I felt good in these matches,” said the 27-year-old. “I want to play, I want to perform at a level that I know I can.

“I believe I can still perform at a much higher level. I’m obviously happy to be playing, and I just have to keep working hard and getting better.

“I definitely have mixed emotions about it. Sometimes I feel like it’s a little unfair and a little… I’m trying to find the right words… but sometimes I made a mistake or something led to a goal and we’re talking about a error like it was four or five. I felt that way sometimes.

“As defenders you always make mistakes from time to time and the most important thing is how you react to them.

“I think the fans have seen what I can do in a flash, especially early in the season. I think I had a really good first half and it went down a little bit for a few games. But I feel like I’ve been back in a good place for a few months now.

“Just the narrative that I see and that is painted of me, sometimes. It doesn’t really bother me too much. I just think it’s a little unfair sometimes. It’s football.

“I just need to worry about myself and keep trying to do better.” But I am my own biggest critic and I know where I can improve and when I can improve.

Dier’s patchy form saw him left out of England’s squad during the recent World Cup qualifiers, but the centre-back is determined to feature at Euro 2020 this summer.

“I always said that the most important thing was to focus on the present, match after match, constantly trying to be at a good level,” he said.

“But obviously I want to go to the Euros, so I have to keep performing well to give myself that opportunity.”