Breaking Down Christian Eriksen's Performance for Tottenham vs. Leicester
Christian Eriksen was right to highlight the significance of Tottenham Hotspur's 4-3 win over Leicester City on Saturday.
The result has ensured European qualification for next season—either in the Champions League or Europa League—remains achievable (albeit the former requiring a near flawless run-in). Tottenham also head into the international break on a positive note rather than a sustained downer following the humbling 3-0 loss to Manchester United.
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Yet the manner in which the three points were won was not entirely satisfactory. An evaluation which could be applied to Eriksen's performance too.
The good of the playmaker's display certainly outweighed the bad.
His decision to chance a run behind the Leicester defence in the 85th minute was justified when Paulinho picked him out. Eriksen's first touch was too heavy but still directed him toward goal, where the intervention of Kasper Schmeichel and Jeff Schlupp resulted in the ball ricocheting off the latter and into the empty net. The own goal made it 4-2 and all but sealed Spurs' victory.
Eriksen's involvement in the decisive moment was a reward for his attempts to influence proceedings throughout. No small thing, given his inability to make any impact against the Red Devils a week earlier. His unhappy outing at Old Trafford was the nadir of a relatively quiet recent spell for the player.
Indeed, there was a welcome, albeit intermittent, liveliness about him that provides hope he may yet engineer a late-season push to rival his strong run of form from late autumn to the end of January.
A passenger in the early going, Eriksen's participation began in earnest after Harry Kane had given Spurs the lead. Leicester's defence were alert to his attempts to create chances further forward, but the Denmark international was not so impinged around the centre circle.
He linked well with his central midfielders and conducted off the ball too, as seen when he directed Nabil Bentaleb to spread the play to left-back Danny Rose, and then got across the field himself to collect and shoot.
Eriksen's standout moment besides forcing Spurs' fourth goal was the one first-half moment he really caused the particularly stifling Roberth Huth problems. An initial dummy attempt failed, but it came back to him and he accelerated across the penalty box, past two defenders and hit the post after he fired across goal. Nacer Chadli then skied the rebound way over the bar.
The best of Eriksen's general work, though, primarily came in conjunction with the irrepressible Kane.
The understanding between the two star men of Spurs' season is a joy to behold at times. Even in the moves that do not come off, the intention behind them is admirable.
They did not combine for any of the goals comprising Kane's hat-trick (though an Eriksen through ball, left by Bentaleb, did set the striker up for a disallowed goal that would have sealed his treble earlier). But Spurs' dominant spells largely revolved around the two's combinations.
Eriksen almost sent Kane through on goal two more times in the first half. A similar move was denied by the watchful Foxes back line a third time after the interval.
Later in the second period, Eriksen dispossessed Esteban Cambiasso in his own half and instigated a delightful one-two with Kane, which he collected as he advanced down the right. The Dane's subsequent attempt at a return ball was intercepted, but it was a moment that helped build the momentum that led to Spurs' deciding goal.
That was one of the few moments when Eriksen imposed himself when Tottenham were not in possession. The continued issue of how to utilise the 23-year-old's presence without the ball (seen in previous years in north London with similar creative players such as David Ginola and Rafael van der Vaart) was where the negative side of his performance came in.
The conundrum is not aided by the confusion and incertitude caused by those periods when Spurs are pegged back. Concern the Spurs defence might collapse at any moment leads to a frantic feeling that can extend to Eriksen and his fellow attackers—though they commendably rose above that on Saturday.
Eriksen is also notably uncomfortable dealing with quick wide men when shifted from central attacking midfield to a wide berth (which happened late on in this game following substitutions). But the aforementioned robbing of Cambiasso shows he is capable of getting stuck in when he wants to—something that should make his limp attempt to stop David Nugent in the build-up to Leicester's first goal all the more frustrating for the north Londoners' coaching staff.
After he gave the ball away, Eriksen halfheartedly chased the Foxes attacker to Spurs' left touchline. He was still in touch with him when Nugent moved forward after passing. But Eriksen then slowed, looked inward and allowed the Leicester man to escape free down the flank.
While Kyle Walker should have tracked goalscorer Jamie Vardy better than he did, Nugent might not have been allowed to cross had Eriksen put more effort in to keeping up with him.
The discrepancy between these two parts of his game needs to be addressed. For now, though, he and Tottenham can and should enjoy the fruits of one of his better attacking showings of late.
Spurs' continued good form against teams outside of the top six (only Crystal Palace have beaten them since the November international break) is what is keeping their season alive. Eriksen may not yet be their man to consistently unlock the Premier League's best, but besides Kane, he is as reliable as they have got.
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