Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen is emerging from the shadows following a hat trick in Denmark’s thrashing of Ireland in Tuesday’s playoff.
The football community, for the large part, takes Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Christian Eriksen for granted. It’s common knowledge Eriksen can, on a given night, be the best play-maker on the pitch capable of turning a loss into a draw or a draw into a win at the blink of an eye, but he’s rarely the first name that comes to mind when you think of the transformation occurring at Spurs over the past several seasons.
Striker Harry Kane is “one of our own” among the Tottenham faithful and a front man collecting Golden Boot trophies. Dele Alli is a flashy star who, when in form, can hit the likes of Real Madrid for a brace, bag highlight-reel goals off the flick of a boot, and he’s a fresh face featured in advertisements for, among other items, FIFA 18. Manager Mauricio Pochettino is seen as the maestro behind the magic hovering over Spurs in late November.
Unlike with Spurs, Eriksen is able to play the role of the superstar and the savior tasked with carrying his side to glory while featuring for Denmark, and that is precisely what he did in Tuesday’s 5-1 thrashing of the Republic of Ireland that propelled the Danes into the World Cup. Of all of his amazing performances for club and country, the 25-year-old may have saved his best night for when Denmark needed it most.
The phrase “hat-trick hero” does little justice in adequately praising Eriksen’s unmitigated destruction of Ireland’s World Cup dreams. He delivered a pair of world-class finishes, using both feet to locate the back of the net with golazos as if to announce to the world that he has those tricks in his bag, but his third tally of the evening was just as impressive because of the nature of the goal:
https://twitter.com/ProperSport/status/930747278092046336
With the game’s outcome essentially decided 13 minutes from time, Eriksen immediately noticed a poor touch from an opponent left a fat rebound in the heart of the penalty area. His cat-like response and vision for goal was matched by a right-footed rocket perfectly deposited into the corner of the net. Literally no goalkeeper in the world would’ve had even a chance of stopping this strike.
Per Sky Sports, Denmark manager Age Hareide offered high praise of his key man after Tuesday’s win:
"“It’s difficult to rank, but we saw [in Tottenham’s Champions League matches] against Real Madrid he is probably one of the best players in his position in Europe at the moment.”"
Hareide continued:
"“Ronaldo, Messi and some strikers are playing as forwards. Christian is more a wide man or a central midfield player. He has this capability of scoring goals, making assists, finding space, so, definitely top 10.”"
Eriksen can be a frustrating product in the Tottenham XI. While fans may point to his unassuming nature both on and off the pitch for why he sometimes seems to disappear, all would have to admit he’s lacked consistency during his Spurs tenure.
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Critics of the player should, however, realize he is in a different role at Spurs than he is while wearing the Denmark shirt. In short, Pochettino shouldn’t need Eriksen to become a one-man show for any stretch unless things go terribly wrong.
Those who have followed and intently watched Eriksen since he signed for the Premier League outfit know of his passing skills and his footballing intelligence. The apparent spike in confidence he’s enjoyed in Pochettino’s system is allowing him to turn into the elite talent scouts and massive clubs such as Barcelona, repeatedly linked with Eriksen in transfer rumors that may or may not carry validity, envisioned he’d become years ago.
Notice the fire and passion Eriksen displays on Premier League weekends and during Champions League fixtures. He understands his place in the squad, but that doesn’t mean he’ll shy from giving Kane, Alli or anybody else a piece of his mind when he feels he was, purposely or not, ignored in the attacking third. That’s only a positive as it pertains to his progression and to Tottenham’s title hopes.
Related Story: Harry Kane cannot be sold to Real Madrid
The worry commonly voiced by Tottenham supporters and also by those who want to see the club fail before it rises to the top of English football is that Spurs cannot possibly retain all of their stars due to wage demands and price tags matched by a Barcelona or Real Madrid. No Spurs fan should worry about that this holiday season. Eriksen isn’t being sold in January. Instead, enjoy watching him between now and the spring.
He’s quietly evolving into a Player of the Year candidate.