Tottenham Hotspurs have been quick off the blocks under their new manager, Mauricio Pochettino. Having narrowly won against West Ham on the opening day, they were clinical in their second outing against QPR.
The Argentine manager has brought the pressing style he embodied at Southampton to Spurs and he was pleased with what he saw at White Hart Lane.
“We played like a team which is the most important thing. It was an unbelievable team performance not only one player.”
With the possible resurgence of Erik Lamela and crucial addition of Erik Dier, Spurs have the potential to be one of the top sides in the league. One man crucial to the fortunes of Spurs is their supposed brain, Christian Eriksen. After a bleak start, he finished last season on a high, emerging as one of their key attacking forces. However, now into his second year at the White Hart Lane, better things are expected of the Dane in the season to come.
Playing in the No.10 role in the evening, Eriksen was efficient with his passing. He clocked an overall passing accuracy of 92%. He attempted 28 passes in the attacking third, 32 passes in middle third and a mere 3 passes in the defensive third. His passing accuracy in the final third was close to an impressive 90%. He created two chances through the game, but recorded no assist.
The Dane likes to play short passes in closed spaces as was evident throughout the match. Of his 63 attempted passes, only 4 were long rangers. With Lamela operating on the right, Eriksen primarily contributed from the left and linked up with teammate Bentaleb on 10 occasions. He constantly linked with Lamela too, who was a constant threat to the Rangers. The duo completed 22 passes between them, with Eriksen finding Lamela on 10 occasions.
Eriksen attempted 5 crosses in total, all from the left. However, none of the attempted crosses were successful. The Dane isn’t renowned as much for his pace as his skill on the ball. He attempted 3 take-ons, getting past the opposition on just 1 of the occasions. One of the key characteristics of play under Pochettino has been the constant pressing up the pitch. While pressing can result positively in ways more than winning back possession, we do not have the data to ascertain the effectiveness of that apart from recoveries made. Eriksen made no ball recovery through the game.
The Dane attempted 4 shots through the game. 2 of those were blocked while 1 was off target, sailing above the cross bar. However, he did come close to scoring with a curling free-kick that hit the woodwork in the 24th minute. Eriksen has shown goal scoring abilities from a distance, and Pochettino will be hoping that the former Ajax star is able to score some crucial goals in matches to come.
Though playing off Adebayor, Eriksen did contribute defensively when presented with an opportunity. He made three successful tackles at a success rate of 75% and made a solitary interception outside the opposition’s box. His defensive contributions were limited to these through the game. While attackers don’t usually have to do a lot defensively under normal playing style, their role in a pressing style requires them to contribute defensively too. With Pochettino’s reign still in the early stages, it will take some time to turn up a polished performance against good sides.
At first look, the evening looked pretty silent for the Dane with neither any goals nor any assists. However, on deeper interrogation, the player did have a good evening. However, the player himself will be looking to lend a direct hand in the matches to come.
One of the phrases often being used to describe the Spurs side is “fluid” and Eriksen fits the bill perfectly. He is fluid in his movement and passing and has a vision that only few can better. With Spurs playing an attacking breed under their new manager, he will have an orchestrating role. Given a clear mandate to attack, he’s already beginning to showcase all the dimensions of his attacking prowess under Pochettino and is heavily involved in every Spurs’ move. However, he will need to start producing the end product on a more consistent basis, through both assists and goals. Near misses will not do. He will also need to start pressing more effectively and win balls much higher up the pitch, to launch the quick counter-attacks so crucial to a pressing style. Having shown immense talent and character in the past, the young Dane will be hoping to move ahead and establish himself as one of the best play-makers in the league.
