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Player watch: Christian Eriksen

Spursmatty87

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2016
1,918
5,046
Not arguing with you directly but for reference. In the premier league last season if you remove penalties (Pogba scored 7).

Both played 35

Goals
- Pogba = 6 (from 105 shots)
- Eriksen = 8 (from 83 shots)

Assists:
- Pogba = 9
- Eriksen = 12

Eriksen is only 11 months older than Pogba so it's not exactly fair for anyone to state that Pogba is this world machine and Eriksen is some above average CM.

Can’t remove pens they still have to score them
 

dace

Well-Known Member
Apr 4, 2014
339
783
Can’t remove pens they still have to score them

Although you are correct , they do have to score them.
They can also not be even close to the action and then get given a gilt edged chance to score, which ups their personal stats.
imho goals and golden boots should not include penalties.
 

wrd

Well-Known Member
Aug 22, 2014
13,603
58,005
Ha, a spam-attack!
That does seem a little...pathetic.

I'm not exaggerating, I checked this morning and they spent literally half an hour spamming all my old posts and I'll be honest it was pretty satisfying to know that I pissed somebody off on the internet that much they took half hour of their time to do that.
 

Jaddas

Well-Known Member
Aug 15, 2008
588
3,790
Decent article of Eriksen's contribution over the years on sky sports. The stats speak for themselves and he's top ranked in the EPL when it comes to creativity, ahead of "world class talents" such as Hazard, Silva etc. Also, he's only missed 9 EPL games for us in 5 seasons which is remarkable.

I know he was a little underwhelming this season but who wasn't? I know I'll miss him. Read for yourself.

https://www.skysports.com/football/...rs-would-face-tough-task-to-replace-playmaker

Christian Eriksen's admission that he is considering leaving Tottenham prompted a mixed reaction among the club's supporters, but few players have been more important to their evolution under Mauricio Pochettino. The statistics underline just how big a miss he would be.

Christian Eriksen threw his arms up in frustration and bowed his head towards the turf. The Dane had just watched Divock Origi's low drive hit the bottom corner at the Wanda Metropolitano, doubling Liverpool's lead in the Champions League final and all but ending Tottenham's challenge.

It was a brutal end to a bitterly disappointing evening for Spurs, and last week it emerged that it might also prove to be Eriksen's final appearance for the club. "I feel that I am a place in my career where I might want to try something new," he told Danish publication Ekstrabladet.

Eriksen struggled to influence the game in Madrid, his muted display prompting criticism from those Spurs fans who feel he is not reliable enough in the big games, but if it does turn out to be his last appearance for the club, it should not cloud his outstanding overall contribution - nor the scale of the task they would face to replace him.

Because there aren't many players like Christian Eriksen.


Since his arrival from Ajax in 2013, he has emerged as one of the best creative midfielders in the Premier League and indeed the world. The 27-year-old only has a year remaining on his contract, weakening his club's position in the market, but any sale would still earn Tottenham a vast profit on the £11.5m fee they paid for him six years ago.

Even then, though, filling the void would be far from straight-forward. Eriksen's time in the Premier League has coincided with some stellar creators, from Eden Hazard and Mesut Ozil to David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne. And yet, statistically, he has outdone them all.

Creative quality
Since the start of the 2013/14 campaign, Eriksen has provided 60 assists - seven more than anyone else. He has created 547 scoring chances - 17 more than second-placed Hazard. Of that total, 70 have been classified as big chances by Opta, putting him ahead of the rest in that category, too.

1560177245065.png



Eriksen's creative numbers are unrivalled, and on top of that there is his goal threat. He has scored 49 times since his arrival in the Premier League, putting him 14th in a list otherwise dominated by strikers. In the 2018/19 season alone, the man nicknamed 'Golazo' by team-mates scored six goals from outside the box - two more than any other Premier League player.

Still, though, there have been accusations that Eriksen's effectiveness has dipped since Tottenham's record-breaking 2016/17 campaign. His critics can point to declining numbers for shots and chances created since then, but it is telling that, at the same time, his numbers for passes have jumped from an average of around 56 per 90 minutes to more than 60.

Indeed, the reality is that a lack of depth has forced Eriksen to take on more responsibility in Tottenham's midfield, involving him more in their general play but gradually pushing him further away from the areas of the pitch in which he is most dangerous.

It is typical of his character that he has embraced the task without complaint. "I don't mind who takes the spotlight," he said in an interview with Sky Sports last season. "If you win the game, then it doesn't really matter. Of course, it's nice to get recognition, but I'm not looking for it. I just do my thing. If it comes, it comes."

That team ethic is one of Eriksen's strengths, but it also explains why his biggest individual contributions are often brushed over. Even this season, when his consistency was questioned, there were still vital late goals against Inter Milan, Burnley and Brighton. Without them, Spurs would not have made the top four let alone reached the Champions League final.

Eriksen's calm and unflappable demeanour can make him appear disengaged at times, but his technical prowess on the ball has always been complemented by hard work off it. In fact, this season - and for the third consecutive year - the tracking data puts him top among Spurs players for distance covered. He averages 12.2km per 90 minutes.

That stamina has made Eriksen a perfect fit for Pochettino's high-intensity approach, and the amount of ground he covers is all the more impressive when you consider that he barely misses a game.

1560177354160.png


Eriksen's resilience to injury is remarkable. Since Pochettino's appointment in the summer of 2014, he has only been absent for nine Premier League games out of 190. In what has been a transformative period in the club's history, no player has featured more prominently - not Harry Kane or even goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. Eriksen has been integral to the progress.

Quite how Spurs would cope without him is therefore unclear. Pochettino has learned to manage without Kane, finding solutions elsewhere in his squad during his injury absences, but with Eriksen, he has not yet needed to. In the last five years, the midfielder has never missed more than four consecutive games in all competitions.

It makes the prospect of losing him even more daunting. Eriksen's future is not decided yet. Spurs are unlikely to let him go without a fight. But if that disappointing evening at the Wanda Metropolitano does prove to be the end, then there is a major challenge ahead.
 

yankspurs

Enic Out
Aug 22, 2013
41,883
71,188
We are going to miss him terribly.
We will if we try to replace him directly. We should look to change the way we play. If we do so and improve in the right areas, we might actually be better off. Just look at what Liverpool have done after losing Coutinho.
 

Duskwen

Well-Known Member
Jan 11, 2015
772
5,507

JKendall13

Well-Known Member
Jul 2, 2012
1,040
6,953
It's an interesting one. He's obviously massively skilled and the statistics above back it up. But I think the reason he's number one in a lot of those stats is because of his remarkable ability to stay healthy, he's played a lot more than a lot of his competitors. Staying healthy is a skill and I think it's Eriksen's most important skill, especially considering how injury prone his Spurs contemporaries have been (Lamela, Dembele, Kane, Winks, Wanyama, etc.) It's also undeniable that he's scored a lot of big late goals for us.

On the other hand, I find him quite frustrating. In my opinion, he's not much of a big game player. I'm having a hard time thinking of when he's really delivered a masterclass against a top 6 opponent. I think he's often marked out of games against better competition and struggles to get foothold. Compare him to Dele Alli in this regard, another player who can be frustratingly inconsistent, Alli has scored huge goals against Chelsea, Arsenal, City, Liverpool, Real Madrid. And Alli is around the same age now that Eriksen was when he joined from Ajax.

The other thing about Eriksen is he isn't particularly well suited to the modern pressing game. I know he runs a lot, but those statistics flatter to deceive compared to his actual impact. I don't think we'll be able to buy a player who can replace Eriksen's technical ability one for one, but we can replace him in other ways like with more athletic and high-tempo midfield plays who press more effectively. If you look at Liverpool, for example, they don't really have any particularly creative in the Eriksen mould but they don't have problems creating scoring chances largely via their press. We could improve our press greatly replacing Eriksen with the right player.

Ultimately, there's no denying Eriksen is a massive talent. But he is also inconsistent and often ineffective against the best teams. I don't want to sell him, but I also think Spurs are right about his level. I don't see him improving Madrid or Barca whatsoever. We'll be able to replace him if we purchase well, especially with the cash return he'll deliver.
 

Haddock

Captain
Oct 16, 2017
2,025
6,357
It's an interesting one. He's obviously massively skilled and the statistics above back it up. But I think the reason he's number one in a lot of those stats is because of his remarkable ability to stay healthy, he's played a lot more than a lot of his competitors. Staying healthy is a skill and I think it's Eriksen's most important skill, especially considering how injury prone his Spurs contemporaries have been (Lamela, Dembele, Kane, Winks, Wanyama, etc.) It's also undeniable that he's scored a lot of big late goals for us.

On the other hand, I find him quite frustrating. In my opinion, he's not much of a big game player. I'm having a hard time thinking of when he's really delivered a masterclass against a top 6 opponent. I think he's often marked out of games against better competition and struggles to get foothold. Compare him to Dele Alli in this regard, another player who can be frustratingly inconsistent, Alli has scored huge goals against Chelsea, Arsenal, City, Liverpool, Real Madrid. And Alli is around the same age now that Eriksen was when he joined from Ajax.

The other thing about Eriksen is he isn't particularly well suited to the modern pressing game. I know he runs a lot, but those statistics flatter to deceive compared to his actual impact. I don't think we'll be able to buy a player who can replace Eriksen's technical ability one for one, but we can replace him in other ways like with more athletic and high-tempo midfield plays who press more effectively. If you look at Liverpool, for example, they don't really have any particularly creative in the Eriksen mould but they don't have problems creating scoring chances largely via their press. We could improve our press greatly replacing Eriksen with the right player.

Ultimately, there's no denying Eriksen is a massive talent. But he is also inconsistent and often ineffective against the best teams. I don't want to sell him, but I also think Spurs are right about his level. I don't see him improving Madrid or Barca whatsoever. We'll be able to replace him if we purchase well, especially with the cash return he'll deliver.

Hasn't Eriksen assisted a vast majority of those "big game"-goals by Dele?
 

rossdapep

Well-Known Member
Aug 25, 2011
21,905
78,640
Hasn't Eriksen assisted a vast majority of those "big game"-goals by Dele?
He's also scored big goals against Chelsea and Madrid.

Look, I can get frustrated with Eriksen sometimes and perhaps that's unfair as others should step up too. Eriksen's previous Danish coach criticised him a few years back for being on the periphery of games far too often and I think that is the only thing I'd really criticise him for as when he's on fire he's a cut above and he is such an influential player. This could be because he's a player who is looking to find space when off the ball rather than go to the ball and demand it.

Going forward, I do think our attack needs a refresh and it could be that we need a couple of CMs who are more aggressive and want to dictate/drive forward from deeper positions rather than operate higher up.

I think Eriksen suffers as whilst he is our most creative player he isn't really a dictator, he's always played in and around the final phase of the pitch and lacks a few aspects in his game to be a CM dictator. I think people sometimes judge him on this when he should be judged as a player who plays as part of the front 3/4
 

Strikeb4ck

Well-Known Member
Aug 8, 2010
4,483
9,409
https://mobile.twitter.com/OptaJoe/status/1136272120235905024
People think Lo Celso can do the same? Or Alli.

What an absolute nightmare it would be to loose Eriksen.
Not saying it's your fault, but it doesn't make sense to list all these stats but then also credit how few games he has missed for us...surely then it would be more relevant to get those stats per minute/game (ie chances created per 90 minutes) and then it would be a fair comparison to other players. If he played that many games and minutes for a top team in this league across many seasons then of course he will be at the top or right near it in just sheer quantity for those stats.
 

Gassin's finest

C'est diabolique
May 12, 2010
37,349
87,809
It's an interesting one. He's obviously massively skilled and the statistics above back it up. But I think the reason he's number one in a lot of those stats is because of his remarkable ability to stay healthy, he's played a lot more than a lot of his competitors. Staying healthy is a skill and I think it's Eriksen's most important skill, especially considering how injury prone his Spurs contemporaries have been (Lamela, Dembele, Kane, Winks, Wanyama, etc.) It's also undeniable that he's scored a lot of big late goals for us.

On the other hand, I find him quite frustrating. In my opinion, he's not much of a big game player. I'm having a hard time thinking of when he's really delivered a masterclass against a top 6 opponent. I think he's often marked out of games against better competition and struggles to get foothold. Compare him to Dele Alli in this regard, another player who can be frustratingly inconsistent, Alli has scored huge goals against Chelsea, Arsenal, City, Liverpool, Real Madrid. And Alli is around the same age now that Eriksen was when he joined from Ajax.

The other thing about Eriksen is he isn't particularly well suited to the modern pressing game. I know he runs a lot, but those statistics flatter to deceive compared to his actual impact. I don't think we'll be able to buy a player who can replace Eriksen's technical ability one for one, but we can replace him in other ways like with more athletic and high-tempo midfield plays who press more effectively. If you look at Liverpool, for example, they don't really have any particularly creative in the Eriksen mould but they don't have problems creating scoring chances largely via their press. We could improve our press greatly replacing Eriksen with the right player.

Ultimately, there's no denying Eriksen is a massive talent. But he is also inconsistent and often ineffective against the best teams. I don't want to sell him, but I also think Spurs are right about his level. I don't see him improving Madrid or Barca whatsoever. We'll be able to replace him if we purchase well, especially with the cash return he'll deliver.
1) Big game player:










2) Eriksen is the best proponent of the Poche press.


I swear that most people don't actually watch us play football, or our players, and just go with the same lazy narratives that they read on here, or in the media. Every time a players' worth and quality is demonstrably proven, someone else comes along with another iteration of the same tired old cliche. I should be used to the stereotype of the english football fan, its only been getting recycled for the last 150 years... but I read another post about the same shite, and:

giphy.gif
 

nicdic

Official SC Padre
Admin
May 8, 2005
41,857
25,919
We will if we try to replace him directly. We should look to change the way we play. If we do so and improve in the right areas, we might actually be better off. Just look at what Liverpool have done after losing Coutinho.
People keep saying this, but let's just get things clear. Eriksen is a far better player than Coutinho, and was far more instrumental for us than Coutinho ever was for Liverpool. Yes he scored some lovely goals that people saw on MOTD, and obviously all the pro-Liverpool pundits on SKY bigged him up all the time. But his loss to Liverpool is/was much smaller than losing Eriksen would be for us.
 

Riandor

COB Founder
May 26, 2004
9,413
11,620
I have said it before, but I will say it again.
I have for awhile believed that CE's perceived form is often aligned with that of Dele's.

Eriksen has all passes in his locker and a reasonable shot, but I find he looks for the clever pass, for the movement of others to unlock a defence.

When Dele Alli ghosts over the pitch, Eriksen is at his best. I find when Son and Moura play forexample, they are too direct. They are dribblers, want ball into space or to feet early and want to use their speed. That often means we end up far forward, but if Son and Moura run themselves into a blockade and recycle it back to Eriksen, I find he has no one to give the ball too and shifts it left or right looking for an overlap from our WB's, who conversely been off form themselves this season (Trippier especially).

So with Dele being injured and off form and Kane too, I have often thought Eriksen looks off his best. Yes he can score, his FK's are usually ok, and he does have a cunnng shot on him, but he is not being utilised to his max. SO is that the fault of Christian or of our squad/Set-up?

We know CE is not a scruff of the neck midfielder, we know he doesn't tackle, but you put him in a team such as Barcelona for example and I think he would flourish much more than others, because Barcelona play the quick pass and move game that I believe CE does best in.

Do I think we are right to sell CE? No, absolutely not, but if the player wants to go then so be it. I personally would look to either fix or upgrade those players who compliment Eriksen.

- Trippier for example, where are the runs beyond the defender? He hits the breaks and we have this U-shaped ring around an opponents box with no space or movement.
- Lamella, clever, tenacious, quick passing too but alway injured.
- Dele Injured and off form
- Kane injured and off form

Couple that with a makeshift midfield and I think we can all agree that Eriksen's odd season is not so much the player, but the result of all the factors surrounding him.

So If I had the choice and the players wishes were aligned with mine, then CE stays and I fix the rest, but that's not how it works and as a result, I believe CE is very likely to leave and we are likely to change slightly how we play.
 

Gassin's finest

C'est diabolique
May 12, 2010
37,349
87,809
I have said it before, but I will say it again.
I have for awhile believed that CE's perceived form is often aligned with that of Dele's.

Eriksen has all passes in his locker and a reasonable shot, but I find he looks for the clever pass, for the movement of others to unlock a defence.

When Dele Alli ghosts over the pitch, Eriksen is at his best. I find when Son and Moura play forexample, they are too direct. They are dribblers, want ball into space or to feet early and want to use their speed. That often means we end up far forward, but if Son and Moura run themselves into a blockade and recycle it back to Eriksen, I find he has no one to give the ball too and shifts it left or right looking for an overlap from our WB's, who conversely been off form themselves this season (Trippier especially).

So with Dele being injured and off form and Kane too, I have often thought Eriksen looks off his best. Yes he can score, his FK's are usually ok, and he does have a cunnng shot on him, but he is not being utilised to his max. SO is that the fault of Christian or of our squad/Set-up?

We know CE is not a scruff of the neck midfielder, we know he doesn't tackle, but you put him in a team such as Barcelona for example and I think he would flourish much more than others, because Barcelona play the quick pass and move game that I believe CE does best in.

Do I think we are right to sell CE? No, absolutely not, but if the player wants to go then so be it. I personally would look to either fix or upgrade those players who compliment Eriksen.

- Trippier for example, where are the runs beyond the defender? He hits the breaks and we have this U-shaped ring around an opponents box with no space or movement.
- Lamella, clever, tenacious, quick passing too but alway injured.
- Dele Injured and off form
- Kane injured and off form

Couple that with a makeshift midfield and I think we can all agree that Eriksen's odd season is not so much the player, but the result of all the factors surrounding him.

So If I had the choice and the players wishes were aligned with mine, then CE stays and I fix the rest, but that's not how it works and as a result, I believe CE is very likely to leave and we are likely to change slightly how we play.
Its almost as though its a team game.
 
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