da betsson： [ad_pod ]
da cassino： This article is part of Football FanCast’s The Chalkboard series, which provides a tactical insight into teams, players, managers, potential signings and more…
Sky Sports have released an analysis of Opta’s advanced statistics, and it reveals just how crucial Christian Eriksen truly is for Tottenham.
On the chalkboard
It’s been talked about plenty already this season – the Lilywhites are a different side when Eriksen plays, evidenced by the way his introduction turned the game against Aston Villa.
The likes of Lucas Moura, Son Heung-min, Dele Alli and Erik Lamela all possess their fair share of qualities, but none of them can pick a pass like the Dane, and Opta’s stats only further confirm his importance in Mauricio Pochettino’s set-up.
According to the report, which analyses things like width, speed of build-up, turnover rate, pressing actions and build-up quality, Spurs’ style of play is quite closely aligned with Arsenal and Manchester United.
However, while the Gunners and Red Devils focus more on countering at speed, Pochettino’s men have been relying on “more patient pass sequences”, similar to Manchester City.
The major difference between the champions and Spurs however, is that the north Londoners struggle to find the “killer ball”, something City do not have an issue with.
The report details how Spurs have lots of pass sequences but few “build-up attacks”, basically meaning they are not converting their dominance of the ball into clear-cut chances.
Key man
So where does Eriksen come into this? Well, the Denmark international averages an incredible 3.1 key passes per 90 minutes this term, and this is not a new development either.
Per WhoScored, he racked up 12 Premier League assists last season and 10 the campaign before that, boasting averages of 2.4 and 2.7 key passes per 90 minutes respectively.
So, while Harry Kane, the side’s captain, talisman and chief goalscorer, is likely the popular pick for Tottenham’s most important player, the underlying numbers suggest the Dane is really Pochettino’s key to success.
[ad_pod ]