Christian Eriksen

[Trix]

Eriksen being able to pick a lock isn’t revisionism, he absolutely can against a low block, whether with his s et pieces or his eye for a pass.

You only have to watch the Everton vs Brentford game towards the end of the season to see that he’s capable of this. 2-1 down against 10 men, Everton sat as deep as possible and he gave an absolute masterclass, creating chances at will.

To say he can’t break teams down is a bit revisionist because there’s examples of him doing this throughout his career.

Other than that we’re in full agreement, he would be a good option to have, no doubt about it with a bench of 9.

Not at the prices currently being quoted we aren't.

 

[Trix]

Sometimes the low block just works. Otherwise Man City would never fail to win a game.

Indeed but go back to Poch last couple of years and how many times did we fail to break those teams down with Eriksen in the side. Fuck me every match day thread against those sides was filled with posts saying we needed to work out a way to break them down.

He's a great player but I'm not going to kid myself that he's the answer to defeating the low block.

 

[SpartanSpur]

Not at the prices currently being quoted we aren't.

Yeah if the figures mentioned by Wishikah (sp?) are anywhere near true then that's over half of a Raphinha, a player you'd sign on a 5 year deal with a load of resale value.

 

[Johnny J]

Indeed but go back to Poch last couple of years and how many times did we fail to break those teams down with Eriksen in the side. Fuck me every match day thread against those sides was filled with posts saying we needed to work out a way to break them down.

He's a great player but I'm not going to kid myself that he's the answer to defeating the low block.

"More creativity in midfield" was the refrain from fans for a few seasons. But I get the impression that under Conte's system the creativity comes more from the wing backs. Like at Liverpool. Could be wrong though.

 

[glospur]

Are we going to be playing a system that plays to his strengths then, or are you happy to change the system to suit him. Perhaps he's so good you'd just shoe horn him in out of position just because of how good he is?

Weird comment considering he's quite literally already excelled in a deeper midfield role under the very manager that we have now on his way to a title

also, that nonsense about him not being able to unlock defences is categorically bullshit. Poch and co called him the brain of the team for a reason.

 

[SpartanSpur]

Indeed but go back to Poch last couple of years and how many times did we fail to break those teams down with Eriksen in the side. Fuck me every match day thread against those sides was filled with posts saying we needed to work out a way to break them down.

He's a great player but I'm not going to kid myself that he's the answer to defeating the low block.

Yeah I don't dispute that. I would suggest he's more likely to find a telling pass/cross/ping into the top corner than our current CM options (in the low block scenario he likely comes on in the pivot) but at the same time us improving our wing backs and backup attackers will also help a lot n this front. Bissouma should help us win more midfield battles too and help us really push teams back.

 

[InOffMeLeftShin]

I do wonder if this is still all his agent trying to drive up prices but then Eriksen will decide with his heart anyway. Is money really the most important thing to him right now?

 

[SpartanSpur]

I do wonder if this is still all his agent trying to drive up prices but then Eriksen will decide with his heart anyway. Is money really the most important thing to him right now?

That seemed to be what Lyall was suggesting but from a Brentford perspective.

I wonder if part of him would be quite happy being a squad option back here. His national team spot won't be under threat and in a way it would protect him from potential burnout in a heavily congested season.

It's possible he's looking at his old club finding themselves in an exciting moment and wondering if he could achieve some unfinished business at the club.

I'd have a lot of respect for him if he took the Brentford or Spurs options. Would show that money isn't always the priority.

 

[Joshua shepherd]

Indeed but go back to Poch last couple of years and how many times did we fail to break those teams down with Eriksen in the side. Fuck me every match day thread against those sides was filled with posts saying we needed to work out a way to break them down.

He's a great player but I'm not going to kid myself that he's the answer to defeating the low block.

He averaged a goal or an assist better than 1 in 2 for his whole time at the club. Lots of those goals and assists came against teams who play a low block.

 

[Joshua shepherd]

"More creativity in midfield" was the refrain from fans for a few seasons. But I get the impression that under Conte's system the creativity comes more from the wing backs. Like at Liverpool. Could be wrong though.

Yeah Thiago isn’t very creative at all…

 

[Detspurs]

Firstly I remember plenty of games where he made no difference against the low block under Poch. I don't know where this revisionism of him unlocking these deep sitting sides has come from, because it sure as hell isn't based on his previous spell with us.

Secondly you don't pay the premiums his people are asking for for a bit part squad player.

Like I said good player, and at the right price a good option. Not worth breaking the bank though for a player who Conte isn't overly fussed about.

Of course you remember plenty of games where he made no difference. That would be the case with any player. He also most certainly made a difference in plenty of games where he made us tick because of his ability to move the ball and dictate tempo with his close control and passing range. He also had the ability to draw the opposition out of their positions because of his threat from distance. In my opinion he offers something none of our other players offer. He gives Kane the opportunity to stay in and around the box against low block teams, as he is the only player in our current squad who can move the ball around in a similar manner. Also I think his last period with us does not represent his quality in a good way as his head wasn't right. That could also have impacted his set pieces which we were quite happy with until his drought towards the last couple of seasons.

I'm not saying we should pay silly money for him, or shoehorn him into the team, but I believe he would be a good signing for the right money. As for the revisionism, it clearly goes both ways...

 

[TheWook]

I do wonder if this is still all his agent trying to drive up prices but then Eriksen will decide with his heart anyway. Is money really the most important thing to him right now?

I agree.

also people keep going on about what these 'trainee lawyers' have said , and as I said yesterday, there is nothing to suggest that this is the case for any one other than Manure, maybe he just doesn't fancy going there unless it's on obscene money that you just cannot turn down, no matter who you are.

 

[Trix]

I agree.

also people keep going on about what these 'trainee lawyers' have said , and as I said yesterday, there is nothing to suggest that this is the case for any one other than Manure, maybe he just doesn't fancy going there unless it's on obscene money that you just cannot turn down, no matter who you are.

Just for reference my view has nothing at all to do with @wishkah post. If you go back I think you'll find me saying they were asking for an absolute fortune in one of my posts.

 

[DanNolan]

I am gutted to hear that news, he’s a better player than any that we will sign this year. Genuinely better than richarlison raphina paqueta etc and yet we won’t pursue him. Puts a dampener on the business for me. I’m very happy with what we’re doing but that won’t kid me into thinking that it’s not a huge miss for the squad.

 

[Stoof]

I agree.

also people keep going on about what these 'trainee lawyers' have said , and as I said yesterday, there is nothing to suggest that this is the case for any one other than Manure, maybe he just doesn't fancy going there unless it's on obscene money that you just cannot turn down, no matter who you are.

Also, they get everything wrong. Literally everything. There's no point to them.

 

[wiggo24]

I’m disappointed not because of what he used to do for us, but rather because I think he’d be a really good signing right now.

At present we don’t have the personnel to switch from a 3-4-3. I know Conte likes it but you can’t argue that only having one possible formation limits us, and there were several games last season where our midfield was being overrun and we couldn’t do anything about it. It was a problem during Contes time as Chelsea too. Eriksen would solve this.

We also have a set of midfielders who all offer slight variations of the same exact thing. Aggressive ball winners and fairly progressive passers when given space. Eriksen would be a completely different profile so would solve this.

We don’t have anyone comfortable operating in the spaces usually occupied by a 10, drifting in the hole against low blocks try to create space, and we don’t have any goal threat from midfield. Eriksen would solve this.

Add this to the fact he knows the club, knows Contes system, and has shown at Brentford that he’s still one of the best creative midfielders in the league, and I really don’t understand why we wouldn’t be going for this. I trust Conte so if we don’t I’ll assume there’s a plan but come next season, if we’re getting overrun by a diligent midfield three and a low block, I’ll be wondering why we don’t have Eriksen to bring on as one of the five subs.

 

[Wogan92]

Also, they get everything wrong. Literally everything. There's no point to them.

Ahem.... not all of them are bad......

 

[Griff001]

I’m disappointed not because of what he used to do for us, but rather because I think he’d be a really good signing right now.

At present we don’t have the personnel to switch from a 3-4-3. I know Conte likes it but you can’t argue that only having one possible formation limits us, and there were several games last season where our midfield was being overrun and we couldn’t do anything about it. It was a problem during Contes time as Chelsea too. Eriksen would solve this.

We also have a set of midfielders who all offer slight variations of the same exact thing. Aggressive ball winners and fairly progressive passers when given space. Eriksen would be a completely different profile so would solve this.

We don’t have anyone comfortable operating in the spaces usually occupied by a 10, drifting in the hole against low blocks try to create space, and we don’t have any goal threat from midfield. Eriksen would solve this.

Add this to the fact he knows the club, knows Contes system, and has shown at Brentford that he’s still one of the best creative midfielders in the league, and I really don’t understand why we wouldn’t be going for this. I trust Conte so if we don’t I’ll assume there’s a plan but come next season, if we’re getting overrun by a diligent midfield three and a low block, I’ll be wondering why we don’t have Eriksen to bring on as one of the five subs.

Bringing a RW such as Raphinha in would solve that to a degree though, as I'm sure Deki can play there, and has done quite successfully in his career.

 

[viktorviktor]

@Trix spilling some truths here. He is a good player, but doesn't have a natural place in Conte's system and if he is chasing money to optimize his contract status, then there is probably a better fit between his value-add and contract demands elsewhere - either in a big team needing a specialized playmaker, or a smaller team where he can make a large difference across AM roles.

 

[13VanDerBale13]

He averaged a goal or an assist better than 1 in 2 for his whole time at the club. Lots of those goals and assists came against teams who play a low block.

Anyone trying to pretend he wouldn’t help us in this regard is deluding themselves, just because we aren’t getting him.