Jamie Redknapp expressed his concern about Tottenham star Christian Eriksen ahead of his side’s Champions League showdown against Borussia Dortmund.
Writing for the Daily Mail, the high-profile pundit claimed the Danish playmaker “looks exhausted” and his flagging form has been integral to Spurs’ poor run.
“Tottenham may have won the first leg 3-0 but their Champions League tie with Dortmund is far from over — especially if they concede early on Tuesday,” Redknapp told the Mail.
“Dortmund will have seen Spurs’ recent slump. Christian Eriksen looks exhausted and, without Harry Winks against Arsenal, they were unable to control the midfield.
“Roared on by the Yellow Wall, Dortmund will be smelling blood. Spurs cannot simply try to see out this tie. Sit back and they will only invite a Dortmund onslaught.”
OPINION
It is no coincidence that Eriksen’s wretched recent performances have coincided with a marked downturn at Tottenham, who were only rescued from a third consecutive Premier League defeat by Hugo Lloris’ late penalty save from Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Arsenal. Is it down to fatigue, loss of confidence or another reason? The great Dane shouldn’t be too exhausted, as Mauricio Pochettino did take the unusual step of benching him for nearly a month in the autumn after a stomach injury. Since then, Eriksen has been reinstated as a regular starter and charged with being the creator-in-chief of the team who are struggling to recapture their excellent pre-Christmas form, when he was pulling the strings so expertly. Eriksen has still had another fine season, without being quite as consistently imperious as he was in 2017-18, but, like Mohamed Salah, Kevin de Bruyne and others, he is not alone in that regard.