Harry Kane or Christian Eriksen: Who's More Important to Tottenham?

Being cruel, you could say Tottenham Hotspur saw on Sunday what life without Christian Eriksen and Harry Kane would be like. So quiet were the attacking midfielder and forward in their 0-0 draw with Burnley.

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The reasons behind the comparatively ineffectual showing from Tottenham's two most productive attackers this season were more complicated than them just having off-days. Partly restricted by head coach Mauricio Pochettino's cautious team set-up, the Clarets' stifling work also left them operating on the periphery of proceedings.

That their contributions were missed in a match in which neither shone only highlighted the importance of both to the Spurs' cause. But is it possible to discern whose are more important to the attacking side of this team?

Essentially, no.

Both the chief creator (Eriksen) and the scorer (Kane) generally need the other to thrive, either directly or as part of the overall well-being of the team.

Neither is defined solely by the primary functions of his position, either—Kane has four assists to his name this season; Eriksen has scored 11 goals.

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Further emphasising the obvious but still notable collaborative elements of their work is the part each has played in several of the other's headline moments.

Kane got the ball rolling in pre-Christmas away wins over Hull City and Swansea City before Eriksen struck late winners. The Dane subtly but effectively pulled the strings as the English striker undid opponents like Chelsea and Arsenal.

Against Burnley, Spurs were worse off for neither being able to impose himself as much as usual.

Selected in right midfield at Turf Moor, it was not too surprising Eriksen found it harder to dictate Tottenham's play than when he is centrally positioned.

Although not completely restricted by this base position (see the above graphic), it did make it harder for the playmaker to link up with Kane and others.

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Further away from his team-mates than he would have liked, the suffocating work of Burnley's left-sided men Ben Mee and Ashley Barnes meant navigating narrow channels just to try to instigate anything progressive with those close to him.

When Eriksen was able to move inwards, it unsurprisingly resulted in several of Spurs' better moves, though when things did not come off in these forays the team was left off-balance.

Often left with no one to link up with himself—left midfielder Nacer Chadli was in uninspired form and Spurs' central midfielders notably tentative—Kane fought a losing battle too. When nothing came his way he was forced to search a long way from goal. Not at his sharpest, little came off for him here, either.

The nullification of Eriksen sounds more problematic when this past weekend's evidence is weighed up.

Spurs lacked direction without him at their centre. The 23-year-old does not create a scoring chance with every pass, but he generally moves his team into place from where they might. Without that, their main goal-getter Kane was little more than a passenger against Burnley.

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Yet, it would be remiss to claim Eriksen playing central attacking midfield (or maybe a little further back) would have instantly solved Spurs' problems.

He was used there against Manchester United last month, but found his efforts similarly futile as the midfield buckled around him in the face of the Red Devils' early, rampant aggressiveness. Earlier in the season his creativity alone could not overcome Spurs' issues figuring out what worked as an attacking unit.

While Kane has benefited from Eriksen's help, he has not been solely reliant on him. Other team-mates work well with him too—for instance, he received good assists from Andros Townsend and Ryan Mason in the 2-1 win over Queens Park Rangers. Of course, the powerful and confident forward is well capable of taking the lead himself too.

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But, amid the hype that has greeted his individual form, to think Kane has been the sole catalyst for Tottenham's good spells this season overlooks those moments and games when he has naturally required help. As far as Eriksen is concerned, see the Hull win in November, Sheffield United in January or even Leicester City last month.

Eriksen and Kane are so integral to Spurs at their best. As with most such impressive talents, the inclination is to compare and rate.

You may have your belief over who is bigger for the north London club. Time might well establish one as being so.

For now, the overwhelming evidence is that both are vital to making Spurs tick. One can enjoy a better game than the other, but there still will likely have been some level of assistance.