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Christian Eriksen produced an awful display only worthy of a 3/10 rating from Football London for Tottenham Hotspur in their midweek Champions League draw, and even though it should put him at risk of being dropped against Leicester on Saturday the truth is that Spurs can’t afford not to start him right now.
On the chalkboard
In recent seasons the north London outfit have often looked to the Dane and Dele Alli to provide that creative spark from the attacking midfield positions, with the former providing 86 assists and the latter 49 during their time with the club.
However, Alli only provided eight in 38 appearances in all competitions last term before missing the start of the current campaign through injury, while Eriksen’s future was firmly up in the air throughout August.
Still, neither player is at the top of their game now as their respective performances against Olympiacos on Wednesday showed, which leaves Mauricio Pochettino with a dilemma.
Eriksen must start
With the former MK Dons man still getting back to full fitness, his 27-year-old teammate has to continue being picked in the starting XI.
On the opening day of the season against Aston Villa for example, Eriksen was left on the substitutes’ bench before being introduced in the 64th minute when his side was trailing 1-0.
They went on to win 3-1 and the midfielder had three shots, made three key passes and put in eight crosses, according to WhoScored.
Likewise at home to Newcastle United he started from the bench, before being introduced just after the hour-mark with the hosts once again 1-0 behind.
This time he couldn’t influence the result, but two shots and two key passes were an indicator of the quality he has, which was backed up again when he found the net away at arch-rivals, Arsenal.
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Tottenham fans may well be getting frustrated at him when he doesn’t perform given his reported reluctance to stay at the club beyond his contract expiring next summer, but the simple fact is that because of the impact he can make, Spurs need him.