There are few names in modern history that generate as much nostalgia among Lilywhites as Christian Eriksen’s.
When Mauricio Pochettino was in charge of the North Londoners, the Danish playmaker demonstrated his ability to be a creative masterclass, and he played an important role in the Lilywhites’ most progressive years under the Argentine’s direction. But now that he is thirty-three (33) and has played very few minutes for Manchester United, there is talk of a possible return to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Given that Thomas Frank has taken over the reins at N17 from Ange Postecoglou, he is expected to lead this Lilywhites side into a new tactical cycle, and given that Eriksen has a positive history at Tottenham Hotspur Way, as well as the fact that his style is quite similar to the former Brentford head coach’s system, the question arises: is now the right time and version of Eriksen to bring him back to North London?
Let’s try to gain an idea of what the Danish midfielder may still give at No. 17.
While his playing time at Old Trafford has been severely limited, his game IQ, along with his technical elegance pull, will still be important if the circumstances are right.
We know he has elite vision and passing ability when playing in a structured system (as we’ve seen for years); he’s also quite comfortable sitting a little deeper at times, especially if you play him as a tempo setter. Furthermore, he has impressive experience in high-pressure games, particularly in Europe’s top division.
And bringing in Eriksen means he’ll be a leader in that dressing room, which should be beneficial, especially given his familiarity with the N17 culture. But there’s more to it: his ability to circulate the ball and combine long and short passes, as well as his awareness in tight spaces, make him an absolute asset in mid-to-low tempo buildup structures, which is exactly the type of system that Thomas Frank used at Brentford (and is likely to bring to Tottenham as well).
So, how does Eriksen fit in at Tottenham under Thomas Frank?
Thomas Frank enjoys a disciplined buildup, and here he instructs his midfielders to drop between lines as needed while also spreading wide to give that breadth while having central zones to play into, all while maintaining press resistance and inviting pressure. I believe Frank brings in a pivot or three-man midfield, emphasizing recycling possession over relentless verticality. And also have some set piece potential, given that Brentford has always been a team capable of playing from dead ball situations. Eriksen fits all of that, albeit in a moderate fashion.
During Eriksen’s time at Brentford, the Danish head coach used him brilliantly, playing him as a left-sided 8 in a 3-5-2 where he was not overburdened with defensive responsibility and could control the rhythm of the game, and Eriksen helped transform Brentford from relegation candidates to a structurally sound mid-table team. The former Inter Milan midfielder has produced more opportunities in the Premier League since his debut for Brentford to the end of that season, with only Kevin de Bruyne and Martin Ødegaard surpassing Eriksen.
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