Mauricio Pochettino’s decision to start Christian Eriksen on the bench against Newcastle United on Sunday was a “strange one”, according to former Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp.
The Dane was omitted from the starting lineup for the second time in three Premier League matches amid continued uncertainty over his long term future at the club, with the Daily Mail reporting that he has no interest in entering into further talks to agree a new contract in north London.
But despite the lack of a concrete resolution Redknapp has expressed his disbelief at Pochettino’s failure to include the 27-year-old in his early-season plans.
Speaking to talkSPORT, he said: “Pochettino left Eriksen out of the first game against Villa, and he turned the game on its head when he came on and they got the win.
“But then he leaves him out again against Newcastle at the weekend, it’s a strange one.
“Without Dele Alli, Eriksen is the only player Spurs have got who can make that final pass. Why was he on the bench?
“I know he wants to go, but while he’s there I’d still be looking to play him to win games. If there is a problem with him, why bring him on, just because you’re in trouble?”
TiF Tactics – Is Redknapp right about Eriksen?
Yes, without a shadow of a doubt.
The Dane offers a creative streak and sense of vision in the centre of the park that few players in the global game can match.
Ever since he signed for Spurs from Ajax back in 2013 he has been an integral part of the side in north London.
At no point in his career in England has he dropped below an average of two key passes per game in the Premier League, as per Whoscored, and over the course of two separate seasons, he has averaged in excess of three per match.
Likewise, his pass completion rate has never dropped beneath 80.2%.
Clearly, Eriksen is a superlative distributor, and for a Spurs side that seems to be lacking in a cutting edge, his presence could be a huge catalyst for improvement.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men already lead the league rankings in terms of goals from outside the box, as per the Premier League, with three of their five goals coming from beyond the 18-yard line. As a point of reference, Spurs only managed 14 from outside the box during the entirety of last season.
Evidently, this is a side struggling to get the ball into properly dangerous areas, and who are instead resorting to trying their luck from range.
Having Eriksen in the side, pulling the strings and breaking the lines with his incisive passing, should be an absolute no brainer.
Is he likely to leave?
This summer? Probably not.
But if that aforementioned report from the Daily Mail is to be believed then it is hard to see where the positive resolution to this saga is going to come from.
A far more pertinent question would be whether Eriksen’s desire to leave justifies exclusion.
The answer has to be no. He is a wonderful talent, capable of wonderful things, but he can’t do anything for the side from the bench.
If he is a professional – and there has been nothing in his behaviour to suggest that he isn’t – then you would expect the Dane to give his all every time he steps out onto the pitch.
As long as he’s doing that, Spurs can at least take some silver lining from this hulking great cloud.