Analysing Christian Eriksen’s excellent performance against Newcastle United

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Christian Eriksen starred as Tottenham managed to pick up three points during their opening Premier League match of the season against Newcastle United. The game was a dull one, as the home side restricted Spurs to long shots in the first-half. Rafa Benitez’s set-up for the game was effective until Jonjo Shelvey stupidly got himself sent off. After the red card, there was a lot more space for the visitors to operate in and their Danish international took advantage of it.

The 25-year-old was playing as part of an attacking trio behind Harry Kane and their movement was exciting to watch. Eriksen took up positions across the pitch and roamed freely in the final third. Once Newcastle had lost Shelvey, the Danish international grew into the game and he managed to create the two goals that sealed the points for his team.

During the match, he made three key passes, which made him the most creative player on the pitch. His distribution couldn’t be faulted as he ended the game with a 91% pass success rate. Considering he was operating in the final third for a lot of the game, this is highly impressive and underlines why he is viewed as one of the best players in the Premier League. Eriksen always gives off the impression that he is comfortable on the ball and rarely makes a bad decision, even if he is put under pressure by an opposition player.

The first assist underlined the quality that he has. The Tottenham midfielder can be devastating if he is given time on the ball and he showed that on Sunday, as he whipped in a great ball behind the Newcastle defence to find an unmarked Dele Alli. His midfield colleague is a composed finisher and he made no mistake. Although the England international got the goal, it was the intelligence of Eriksen that made it happen.

If there was one negative to Eriksen’s performance, it was that he was too willing to take shots on from distance. Newcastle restricted the space given to the Spurs’ attack during the first-half, but the Danish international opted to take long shots on too often and wasted some good positions for his side. Although he possesses the quality to find the back of the net, he was wasteful on Sunday and attempted six shots during the match. This was the joint-highest of the match and he didn’t have one clear-cut opportunity at goal.

Dele Alli and Harry Kane are often talked about as great players. They are both important to Tottenham, but Christian Eriksen is equally important and his performance on Sunday was a reminder of the quality that he possesses. His passing has the ability to win matches and he came into his own once Newcastle went down to ten men. Spurs need to have a creator capable of making chances for the likes of Kane and Alli, which they have in Eriksen. His pass success rate was a particular highlight. If he maintains this level of performance, his team should be set for a good start to the season.