Two players are frequently cited as being essential to Manchester United's comeback under Erik ten Hag.
Both Casemiro and Marcus Rashford have unquestionably had outstanding seasons. The former has strengthened Man United's midfield, and the latter has scored 31 goals across all competitions this season. They are generally credited as the Red Devils' difference-makers. However, there is a third participant who frequently goes unnoticed but has had comparable influence.
A last-minute injury to Marcel Sabitzer before the game on Sunday, which Erik ten Hag later admitted, scarcely disadvantageed Man United since Christian Eriksen was sent in to fill his spot.
The Danish international then put on a skillful performance as his team easily defeated relegation-perilous Nottingham Forest 2-0.
Even though Eriksen is only 31 years old, there is already evidence to support the claim that he is one of the greatest and most underappreciated players in Premier League history.
He is one of four active players in the top 20 all-time Premier League assist leaders right now, and two of those (James Milner and Ashley Young) are undoubtedly nearing retirement. He is now ranked 13th overall.
The only player in the top 20 with less top-flight appearances than Eriksen's 257 is Kevin De Bruyne, but others are still much ahead of him in that department; fourth-placed Frank Lampard, for instance, has featured in a total of 609 games.
It's incredible to believe that less than two years after his heart episode at Euro 2020, Eriksen is performing at an elite level once more. All of those other players did not have to recover from a horrible, near-death experience.
Even though he has recently played more in a deeper midfield position than he did for the most of his career at Tottenham, when he typically played closer to the attack, still Eriksen has recorded seven assists, more than any other player.
His absence was clearly felt on Sunday, which marked his first start in Man United gear since an FA Cup victory over Reading in January.
Eriksen is undoubtedly a crucial player in Ten Hag's eyes. Only two of Man United's first 20 Premier League games saw him not start, and that was due to an injury setback.
United has a 13-4 win-loss-draw record this season in games in the top division that Eriksen has started.
They have won six, drawn three, and lost two of the games in which he has been absent at the start, including their season-worst performance—the embarrassing 7-0 loss to Liverpool. In other words, without Eriksen, they have lost points in nearly 50 percent of their games.
Eriksen's individual contribution is important, but it also seems like he improves the play of those around him.
At the beginning of the season, there was considerable discussion about whether United could fit both the Dane and Bruno Fernandes in the same midfield, but the two have always performed exceptionally well together.
Ten Hag noted on Sunday how well the two worked together, adding that Eriksen's late substitution of Sabitzer for Fernandes altered the Portuguese international's position somewhat. Fernandes then dazzled with a performance worthy of man of the match.
“He (Eriksen)’s a natural talent,” Ten Hag told reporters after the game. “Everything is going so smoothly with him, so many skills, game understanding. He would not have started if Marcel hadn’t dropped out but also when Marcel’s dropping out, we’re really happy with his performances in the last games. When you bring on Christian it’s not a disadvantage for your team and he proved it."
“Yeah, at the last minute [Bruno Fernandes's role changed]. It’s a little bit of a different role but it’s not that huge because we want rotation there, to be fluid and our full-backs play an important role in our game in possession there. I think both did very well, they played a very good game.”
Another telling statistic, according to the Manchester Evening Post, is that the Red Devils have won 15 games, drawn two, and lost none when Casemiro, Eriksen, and Fernandes started the game, as they did yesterday. If they can all stay healthy, that trio will most likely be the first-choice midfield moving forward.
Eriksen will therefore play a significant role if United is successful in earning a Champions League spot.
Additionally, the Dane has affected the top-four race in another way.
Tottenham, with whom Eriksen played for seven seasons, has been one of United's main competitors recently.
Furthermore, it is significant that Spurs made the Champions League final during the Danish star's final full season with the team.
Tottenham finished third, second, third, and fourth in the Premier League in each of his previous four complete seasons.
The North Londoners' seasons in the following years were less noteworthy: 6th, 7th, and 4th.
As they threaten to collapse in the wake of Antonio Conte's departure, this year may be their worst yet in the post-Eriksen period, while United, in sharp contrast, appears to be on the verge of a top-four finish.
Harry Kane, a Tottenham legend and a longtime target for the United States, might easily consider moving to Old Trafford after seeing what Eriksen is accomplishing there.
Details of Darren Fletcher's message to Christian Eriksen emerges
Christian Eriksen has disclosed the moment he learned he would be making his Manchester United debut in the team's 2-0 victory over Nottingham Forest.
On Sunday, United improved their hold on third position with a thrilling and convincing victory at the City Ground. A loose ball was shoved across the goal line by Antony to start the scoring in the first half. Diogo Dalot then confidently finished to seal the victory.
The victory was made even more astonishing by the fact that Marcel Sabitzer was forced to leave the starting XI late on after sustaining a groin injury in the warm-ups, adding to Erik ten Hag's developing injury crisis. Eriksen took his spot, but it took him a while to realize he was actually playing, when Darren Fletcher told him while the athletes were making their way back to the locker rooms.
"Not a lot," he told Sky Sports when asked how much time there was before the game when he found out he was starting. "They do some finishing in the end that's always the last drill before they do some springs and go in and when they start doing finishing I heard Marcel's gone in, he felt something and I was preparing myself to see if I was ready or not.
"At the time I didn't know if he was going to pick me or not so really it was Mitchell [coach, Van der Gaag] asking just be ready, I don't know who's going to come on but just be ready.
"Yeah on the way in," he added when explaining when he found out. "Fletch said on the way in I think it's you. I said, 'Okay that's fine'. Mentally I was ready [to start]. I've been out for a while so I need to do my prep and I need to be ready to play, that’s really throwing me in and like today I’ll be ready."
Eriksen made his first appearance since suffering a severe injury himself in January, and he was impressed by what he seen from the sidelines. "They impressed me,":he continued.
"They've maintained the ferocity. They haven't changed how they play on this level. Even from the outside, everything has appeared to be in good shape."
"Yeah if you take into account how we started, I came here and played as a striker in the first game. It's a completely different role now and a completely different feeling around the club and also on the pitch. The feeling around the boys are really good."
"There's loads of games but we want to go for everything as much as we can. The league is probably too far but the rest, revenge we want in Seville on Thursday and then after that of course it’s the semi-final. We want to compete, we want to be in as many games as possible. You have to win to be in finals."
Sevilla wins Valencia 2-0 away ahead of United's visit to Seville
Sevilla defeated Valencia 2-0 to prepare for their Europa League match against Manchester United in the second leg.
Suso made it 2-0 with 20 minutes left after Loic Bade gave Sevilla the lead in the 55th minute with a goal. The late dismissal of Ilaix Moriba added insult to Valencia's injury.
Despite having three different managers throughout their erratic season, Sevilla is now in 12th place in LaLiga.
With their quarterfinal match against United deadlocked at 2-2, they still have a chance to win the Europa League.
In the first leg at Old Trafford, United took a two-goal lead thanks to a brace from Marcel Sabitzer.
Tyrell Malacia and Harry Maguire scored late own goals to help Sevilla earn a draw. At the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium, the teams will square off once more on Thursday.
Whoever wins that game will go on to play either Sporting or Juventus in the semifinals, with the Italian team holding a 1-0 first-leg lead.
Post a Comment