Christian Eriksen keeps Tottenham alive

All that was needed for Tottenham to get the win over Inter Milan was a single goal. This was provided by Christian Eriksen late in the game. Even though he didn’t start the game, he kept Tottenham’s Champions League hopes alive.

The score was still 0-0 well into the game. Inter Milan would have been happy if the match ended that way but Tottenham needed to get the win. They needed a hero.

Pochettino finally called for some extra firepower by first trading Heung-min Son for the lackluster Lucas Moura in minute 62. Still no goal. Eight minutes later, he sent in Christian Eriksen for Erik Lamela. What an incredible upgrade this was.

Lamela was on corner and free kick duty and did quite badly at his job. His runs didn’t produce anything and he was getting visibly frustrated.

From the moment Eriksen went on, the whole dynamic of the game changed. Free kicks were placed well and Tottenham’s build-up had a much better quality to it. Still, Eriksen was playing with a bit less energy than he was in the Chelsea game. In that match, he pressed players all game and came away with several steals. In the Inter game, his job was different. He seemed to be conserving his energy for something big.

Then the goal came. Sissoko made a strong run into the right side of the box. He passed to Alli, who laid it off to Eriksen. With the way the ball was placed, there was no way Eriksen was missing. He made strong strike to the top of the net. Tottenham were up 1-0.

In the last two games- those against Chelsea and Inter- we have seen firsthand the massive value that Eriksen has for Tottenham. Against Chelsea, he contributed two assists- one with Alli and one with Kane. When Spurs need to have a quality attack, Pochettino turns to Eriksen. He is the catalyst that makes the offensive side of the team hum.

This is why Spurs need to shoot down the interest shown by big clubs like Juventus and Real Madrid. The latter seems to have historically viewed Tottenham as something of a farm team. This is like how Liverpool view Southampton. This is a bit ironic because Spurs currently sit at 3rd in their domestic league and Real are in 6th.

In the past, Real have swooped in and taken some world-class talent from Spurs. This includes players like Gareth Bale and Luka Modric.

Pochettino did an impressive job keeping several big players at the club this summer. He also signed a few to long-term contracts. He may start thinking about doing the same with Eriksen.