Christian Eriksen: Evolution of an Enigma

The Great Dane

Christian Eriksen, as any Spurs fan will tell you, hates challenges. Aerial duels, 50-50's (hell, even 80-20's don't appeal to the guy) and physical contact often is shirked by Eriksen. That being said, you would not necessarily expect a diminutive playmaker to offer much defensively. But no player has covered more ground than Eriksen this season - a statistic that epitomises our side's hardworking nature. While Eriksen may be something of a contradiction with respect to his hard work but lack of bravery in a challenge, one thing cannot be denied - he is one of the most valuable playmakers in the league and at 25 will only get better.

The first half of the season was something of a struggle for the Dane. Up until our now permanent formation change, Eriksen struggled to impact games as he had in the past - playing on the left side or right side of a 4231 meant that while he was still working hard, he could not get into the positions to fully influence the game. He was not about to dislodge the mercurial Alli from the number ten position, and his performance levels had dipped enough that many fans thought he should be dropped. It was understandable - bar the odd assist, Eriksen was not putting in the type of performance that saw him seven league goals in twenty-five appearances in his first Premier League campaign. The excitement was dwindling around Eriksen; though he had the talent, he was unable to show it on a consistent basis, and but for the injury to Erik Lamela, he may well have found himself benched.

That's all ancient history now. Pochettino is heralded as one of the world's finest young managers, and a career at the top for the Argentine - with Spurs or elsewhere - seems a certainty. There's a reason for that; adaptability, hardwork and tactical ingenuity separate him from the masses of managers who are set in their ways and refuse to compromise even when faced with the adversities of media pressure. Pochettino's implementation of a 343 (for the sake of a numerical title, though in truth it could easily be described as a 3421 or even 532) was nothing short of genius. The first few games drew obvious attention to our flying wing backs, who benefitted from the cushion of an extra centre half behind them, allowing for our width to start much higher up the pitch. This - along with the Dembele/Wanyama - pivot has rightfully earned plaudits in punditry analysis for our upturn in form over the winter period. But perhaps the biggest benefactor of this system is Eriksen himself. Gone are his responsibilities as a wide man, instead allowing him to operate essentially in a free role with Alli behind Kane. In effect, we now have two number tens, who are both afforded the freedom of the opposition half. For Eriksen, the effects have been devastating. Only Gylfi Sigurdsson (eleven) has more league assists this season, and the Dane has also bagged ten goals across thirty-three games in all competitions. Statistically he's clearly efficient, but it's the smaller details that often go unnoticed; the subtle touches, the killer through-balls and the nicking of possession from an opponent that has made his inclusion vital. In fact, Eriksen has created more chances (80) than any other player this season. Considering his slow start to the season, this is a remarkable statistic. Eriksen has reinvented himself from a standout player scoring long shots every other week, to an essential cog in a machine much greater than the sum of its parts.

And yet, the enigma status remains at the forefront of any Eriksen-related discussion. For a player as technically outstanding, his corners are by-and-large complete garbage. How does a professional footballer manage to hit the first man so consistently? It has generally been noticed that our successful corners involve a near-post runner, but some of Eriksen's set pieces barely leave the ground. It's astonishing for a player of his talent to be consistently disappointing from a dead ball situation. In fact, he has yet to score a free kick this season - a strange statistic from someone who was deadly from 30 yards a couple of seasons ago.

The contradictions continue with Eriksen's relative lack of bravery in the challenge. Footballers personalities can vary greatly, but the relative lack of tenacity in a challenge is something Eriksen could certainly improve on. It becomes glaringly obvious when compared with the likes of Kane, Janssen and Lamela, who will all fly into tackles when tracking back. It's certainly a side of his game that is weaker than most, but the fact he works so hard adds to the conundrum of our playmaker. Of course, he's a more than technically astute playmaker, but his hard work is often overshadowed by his non-committed challenges. The side benefits from his constant tracking back, but when the ball is bouncing and the oafish Glenn Whelan or the thuggish Charlie Adam are running towards him, you could put your mortgage on Eriksen bottling the tackle.

We've established Eriksen's efficiency in the final third and his importance to the side, but perhaps the biggest frustration is we're always left wanting more. The Spurs faithful would agree that Eriksen has the potential to be a world class playmaker who dominates week in, week out. But too often the Dane drifts through games, failing to consistently assert his presence despite having the ability to dominate the opposition. When it all clicks, Eriksen is an outstanding player, but the silky touches and devastating through passes should reap more substantial rewards on a consistent basis. Perhaps this will come when he peaks - he is only 25 after all - and I'm sure that Pochettino will continue to try and get the best out of our number 23. Just as Alli and Kane have further upped their games this season, it's not inconceivable that Eriksen will develop the consistency needed to become one of the world's greatest. Because when he plays in Lilywhite... he makes Özil look shite.