The departure of your star player can have a huge effect on the flow of a team and their narration on the pitch. Spurs seem to have found a peach of a replacement, with a player who can find gaps in a fragmented defence and produce moments of brilliance.
Danish midfielder Christian Eriksen made his first appearance in a Tottenham Hotspur shirt on Saturday since his £11 million move from Dutch side Ajax this summer. His scope of engineered passing and fluency provided Gylfi Sigurdsson with a clear cut opportunity to score, before playing a huge role in Sigurdsson’s second of the afternoon in a resounding 2-0 victory over recent bogey team Norwich City.
In a post-match interview with his manager André Villas-Boas on Match of the Day with host Gary Lineker, the Spurs boss commented:
"It was a great debut for Christian, he is a pure number 10, a creative player and his individual quality made all the difference."
The 21-year-old midfielder was the main source of Spurs dominance in the middle of the park, with a range novelty passing that the North London side have been lacking over the past couple of seasons. Eriksen’s addition breaks up the pace of the Spurs attack with deadly inventiveness, whereas the Gareth Bale era, although relatively successful in attack, posed a one dimensional feel to their play. Spurs reaped the rewards of Eriksen’s awareness and ability on Saturday as the Dane clearly dictated the notion of play.
Ajax were said to be painfully upset at Eriksen’s exit from the Amsterdam-ArenA due to his ability to affect the game with a moments of magic that no other play had in his locker. His performances in the UEFA Champions League in recent seasons particularly caught the eye of the Tottenham board and despite only having one appearance under his belt at White Hart Lane, the Dane may already have secured his position in the starting side ahead of Spurs next fixture away to Premier League new boys Cardiff City on September 22nd.
The Spurs regiment looks physically stronger and motivated, whilst Eriksen’s addition may prove to be pivotal behind star centre-forward Roberto Soldado. Whilst AVB looks to integrate his side and find his perfect first eleven, with Eriksen’s experience, despite being such a young age, the international midfielder will provide the links and tactical knowledge in the most crucial areas of the pitch.
He has already set records, becoming the youngest player of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and won the Eredivisie with Ajax three years on the bounce over the past trio of seasons in the Netherlands. He has featured on thirty-nine occasions for his country and apparently turned down big money contracts at Barcelona and Arsenal to join Daniel Levy’s new and ambitious chapter as Spurs chairman.
Whilst a heap of cash has been spent by the Spurs board, some may question Ajax’s willingness to sell their star midfielder at such a cheap price. With Spurs having spent £30m on Erik Lamela, £26m on Spanish striker Roberto Soldado and £17m on Brazilian machine Paulinho, the Dutch side have clearly missed the plot. Having seen the Lilywhites keenly draw out their cheque book, most would have thought the Eredivisie champions would have placed a heavy price tag on the transfer. Eriksen may prove to be the most profitable and value-for-money acquisition of the summer and certainly gained the approval of pundits Alan Hansen and Alan Shearer during Match of the Day’s highlight reel this weekend.
