Tottenham Hotspur's Dangerous Dependence on Christian Eriksen

Christian Eriksen has emerged as an invaluable asset to Tottenham this season, with their success hinged on his impressive performances.

The 22-year-old took his tally to 10 goals for the campaign with a tie-winning brace against Sheffield United on Wednesday night, firing Spurs into the Capital One Cup Final against Chelsea.

It has been a season of fine margins for manager Mauricio Pochettino’s men, winning just two Premier League matches by more than a solitary goal.

As the stats below show, Eriksen has been the chief architect in their dramatic wins, and while any player filling his position would have provided their own contribution, there’s no denying that his offerings have been remarkable:

• Spurs paid Ajax £11.5m for his services in 2013.
• He's scored eight total goals in the Premier League this season.
• Eriksen's goals have won the team 13 points.
• Tottenham would be 11th in the Premier League without Eriksen’s goals.
• He's scored three game-winning goals in the 88th minute or later.

Indeed, Eriksen has won more points for his team than any other Premier League player, according to The Telegraph's calculations.

Such form sees him rated as the seventh-best player in the division, according to the Premier League's fantasy football game:

Fantasy.premierleague.com

Eriksen’s statistics get even more impressive when we take into account the legwork he is putting in for his side, as highlighted by Sky Sports’ Peter Smith:

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Despite all his flair and trickery, Eriksen has covered more ground than any other player on the pitch in 16 of his 22 Premier League matches this season (he was second only to Harry Kane against Everton).

Remarkably, that includes all of the games in which he's scored late winners.

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The Dane spoke of his improved fitness back in December following an 89th-minute winner in the 2-1 victory at Swansea.

As reported by Press Association (h/t The Guardian), he said, "You see the last few games and we’re still 100 percent ready to go at the end of the game. Before we wouldn’t have been fit enough to go the whole game."

However, there’s a danger that Eriksen will grow tired of carrying the burden of his side following yet another great escape—this time against a Sky Bet League 1 side.

According to Danish newspaper BT (h/t the London Evening Standard), Eriksen’s father and former coach Thomas said the following:

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He's very happy and satisfied with what is going on over there - he has always been that. He thinks it's a bit annoying that the games are being decided that late on and that they don't score more.

On Wednesday for example they could have scored two or three more goals and then it would have been over and they wouldn't have struggled at the end.

But that's just the way Tottenham are playing at the moment. They can't kill the games. It's like they seem to win 2-1 all the time. But he is really happy.

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While Eriksen is currently relishing being the last-gasp hero, Spurs fans will be all too wary of their star man looking elsewhere if the club fail to match his ambitions.

The north London outfit may have reached the Capital One Cup Final, but the fine margins by which they operate came back to haunt them in the FA Cup last Saturday, losing 2-1 to lowly Leicester due to two late goals.

They also paid to price for not killing off Crystal Palace on January 10, and while they bounced back thanks to Eriksen’s 88th-minute effort against Sunderland a week later, such unconvincing form is costing them in the top-four pursuit.

Southampton currently hold third spot while Manchester United and Arsenal sit ahead and have favourable fixtures this weekend.

Saturday’s trip to West Brom, who enjoyed a 1-0 win at White Hart Lane earlier in the season, is the sort of test Spurs surely have to start passing on a consistent basis to reach the holy grail of the Champions League.

While the above evidence shows Eriksen is more than capable of delivering, the challenge is for his team-mates to match his contributions.

Pochettino will be taking a long, hard look at his squad ahead of the close of the January transfer window, as he decides whether they have the quality to support their great Dane's quest for success.