In some ways, Christian Eriksen really should have ended up an Arsenal player. The Dane was coached by Dennis Bergkamp at Ajax, with the two figures sharing the same mindset, the same way of thinking. It was a way of thinking that came to define the Gunners during the peak Arsene Wenger years. And yet Eriksen finds himself on the other side of North London, at Spurs.
Of course, the identities of the two rival clubs have shifted in recent years. Spurs are just as technical a side as Arsenal, with Mauricio Pochettino completely overhauling the club in his own image as a coach. Make no mistake, Eriksen is not a misfit at Spurs, but his belonging there illustrates how they have changed.
Eriksen is a modern giant of the North London club, writing his name into Spurs’ history with almost every passing game at the moment. On Tuesday, he wrote his name into Danish football history, bagging a hat-trick in his country’s thumping 5-1 win over the Republic of Ireland in Dublin. It was a performance that struck home just how good the playmaker is at the moment.
In fact, Eriksen is one of the most undervalued, most under-appreciated talents in the European game right now. At Spurs, his importance is recognised. While Harry Kane and Dele Alli might be the headliners of Pochettino’s side, but it’s Eriksen who really gives them drive, direction as a team. Without him, the system doesn’t work, or at least doesn’t work nearly as well.
“I'm the player who wants to create something and to help get the team out of trouble with the ball in certain situations,” the man himself explained in an interview last week. “I'm capable of doing it and I trust I can do it. I think my team-mates know that if they play me the ball, they will get it back in the right way, with the right timing and with the right pace. It's about feeling the connection.”
There’s a quiet confidence to the way Eriksen goes about things, demonstrated by his display in the World Cup play-off win over Ireland. He is the quiet man who can make the loudest noise through his play, whether that’s in the making of an assist, the scoring of a goal or something in between.
The general under-appreciation of Eriksen suits Spurs, though. Clubs like Barcelona and Real Madrid should be looking at the Dane, such is his quality, but for the time being, he looks comfortable in this current surroundings. Eriksen is the epitome of Pochettino’s interchangeable, adaptable Spurs side. He, more than anyone else, demonstrates what and who they are.
“A lot of things have changed,” Eriksen said when asked to reflect on the development of Spurs over the past two seasons or so. “Everything, really, both on and off the pitch. Everything has been put into what we all wanted at Spurs. Everybody wanted to become a top team and that is what we have tried to do. I think we are getting closer than ever before.”
Spurs find themselves at a critical juncture of their recent history as a club, challenging on domestic and continental fronts as they prepare for the opening of their new stadium next year. Eriksen is integral to their continued success. Not everyone fully appreciates the Dane as they should, but from his club’s perspective, that matters little. They know his worth. They see it every week and against Arsenal, the club he might have joined at another point in time, he can once again highlight it.
