A one-man team? Don’t tell Eriksen
IT WAS not a day for a booming performance but there was an evening of muffled laughter.
The comment by Pep Guardiola had not gone unnoticed by Tottenham players but it is telling that they can see a funnier side, as demonstrated when their match-winner on Saturday was asked on his way home if this was now the ‘Christian Eriksen Team’.
‘Be careful what you say,’ Eriksen responded with a chuckle. It is fair to conclude that the rest of the Spurs side have reacted with less sensitivity than Mauricio Pochettino, their manager, to the ‘Harry Kane Team’ remark by Guardiola.
The notion that Tottenham are reliant on one man is ludicrous, and Saturday’s win was a case in point, even if they very nearly gave oxygen to the opposite argument. Kane was having a quiet game and for the entire first half, Spurs were trudging into a narrative that, when their striker is off, they can’t win.
Then, just like that, Hugo Lloris made a wonderful save to block an Eric Dier own goal and Eriksen curled a lovely winner from amid a cluster of lunging Bournemouth defenders. It’s what he does so well, whether in the act of scoring or creating.
As a playmaker with 46 goals and 56 assists for Tottenham in all competitions, the 25-year-old has shown in less than five seasons that he, too, is a good shout for Tottenham’s best player.
But the beauty of this Tottenham side is its diversity of power — Danny Rose is close to fitness again and is perhaps the league’s best left back, Jan Vertonghen and Toby Alderweireld are certainly the division’s top centre half pairing, Lloris is among the finest keepers in Europe and Dele Alli is wanted by Real Madrid. None of which factors in that Pochettino is believed to privately rate Mousa Dembele as his best player when fit.
So, a one-man team? ‘I don’t think we should take it personally. I am not sure how it was said,’ Eriksen said of Guardiola’s remarks. ‘No one wants to be called a one-man team, if it is meant serious. I don’t know if it was. It is a team performance and if you have respect you probably don’t say it. It was maybe a joke.’
Would Real Madrid be making a mistake this week if they thought it was all about Kane? ‘I think so, yes definitely. If Harry doesn’t score someone else will.’ Eriksen had proved the point.