Eriksen is too lightweight to play CM

Borys

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Eriksen and Bruno shouldn't play together in the big games. I think Fred should play a bigger role. Casemiro elevates the entire midfield play so I'd give it a chance.
 

MrSingh2002

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Eriksen is the backup to a player we don't currently have and that is it.
OP stated nothing we don't know already.

Eriksen isn't a player you really want to start in an away game vs a top team.

That's not his fault and we're lucky he's even giving it a go. He's a number 10 or a CM that can play for us in home games or against weak opposition away.

A CM is a priority for the transfer windows not as a kneejerk thread topic. A top CM (Enzo, Bellingham or De Jong) is the priority along with a striker for the transfer windows.
 

Raoul

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Eriksen is the ideal kneejerk player for fans. Once upon a time (3 months ago) a brilliant signing who pulls the strings in the middle. Upon losing a game and without Casemiro available, Eriksen is too lightweight. Still a a fantastic bargain for us, who when paired with the right partner, can be incredibly effective.
 

sillwuka

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He's great and against lower opposition he can still pull the strings.

I'd make it a priority to sign a replacement or rotational player in his position. Could Tielemans do it?
 

Raoul

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Eriksen is being overplayed. He needs to be rested and used sparingly.
The entire squad is being overplayed thanks to the WC. Us in particular this week - being asked to pull points out of our Arse (no pun) with 3 league fixtures in a week, two of them against the top 2 sides in the league.
 

Oranges038

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Is there anyway to swap his head with McTs?

He's just not physically capable of playing at this level for 90 mins without a decent player beside him.
 

NinjaZombie

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He can't play 8 without Casemiro. Also, I feel like he's playing too many games and minutes. But that's only because our other options in midfield are sub par.

We seriously need to strengthen in midfield this summer. I'd argue that it's a more pressing situation than getting a number 9.
 

VP89

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It has been clear from the start, that he is only suited to play that role in some games. A few just didn't want to see it. He got quieter and quieter in the last weeks. We have to rest him.


So having two careless players centrally is better?
Bruno and Casemiro on the middle.
Eriksen in the 10 where he's suited to best, and far from careless.
 

Roboc7

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He’s a stop gap, huge improvement over likes of Mctominay but does get found out at times. He’s done good job for us this season but will be more suited to being a squad player next season.
 

VP89

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He has been fine all season. We were just the worse team today I think
Where he was actually quite bad. He was also poor vs Palace. He needs to be in the 10 which was where he was for the assist.
 

Rightnr

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Well, that's well and good but the Glazers refuse to spend a penny. Anyone saying they'd prefer them to stay over a new owner genuinely does not get to complain
 

Aretak

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The only other option today was McFred, which is the worst central midfield pairing in the history of football at any level. Blame Casemiro for being an idiot. Blame the club for the years of failing to strengthen that area. I doubt Eriksen asked or expected to be played where he is and so often.
 

Josep Dowling

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The last two games he’s looked knackered after 60 minutes. He didn’t have a good game at all today. Ten Hag should have taken him off in both games and didn’t. That’s on Ten Hag.
 

JPRouve

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Eriksen is the ideal kneejerk player for fans. Once upon a time (3 months ago) a brilliant signing who pulls the strings in the middle. Upon losing a game and without Casemiro available, Eriksen is too lightweight. Still a a fantastic bargain for us, who when paired with the right partner, can be incredibly effective.
Seriously, they seem to do it every single time. We lose a game and somehow it's Eriksen being generally not good enough. We win a game against the same type of opponent and he presumably put on some weight?
 

Ballache

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He was meant to come in as squad player. We have no options right now, so he's being overplayed. We desperately need 2 cms this summer, a starting 8 and a back up DM.
 

r3idy

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Just shows that a gassed Chris, looks better than some of our starting options on the bench.

He looks like he is a little over played currently. Agree with the sentiment, he is a stop gap, but let's not lose sight, he is a quality player and we are probably ahead of where we thought we would be. Exactly half way through the season and I think it needs someone to get alongside Cas and rotate Bruno and Chris as the #10 for a few weeks.
 

Murder on Zidane's Floor

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Said this a while ago and got slated.

He cannot play in the big games in midfield. If you play him, you're playing him at RW or LW like we used to do with Pogba.
 

Cas18

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Love Eriksen but feel he fades in the second half. Surprised he's played so much considering his previous health problems. Think we need to sub him earlier as we're running him into the ground. Goes back to the problem in lack of depth in the squad.
 

NZT-One

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I think he should put Bruno CM and Eriksen in the 10.

The logic that Bruno is more careless than Eriksen in the central area doesn't fly anymore given how Eriksen performed.
So having two careless players centrally is better?
Bruno and Casemiro on the middle.
Eriksen in the 10 where he's suited to best, and far from careless.
I think there way a crazy that shows, that while Bruno looks very busy and is pretty good in regards to pressures attempted he pretty whack in achieving something with it being very low percentile in terms of dribbled past stat.

Neither Bruno, nor Eriksen should be played in central midfield in a midfield two. There might be freak matches where it can work to throw the kitchen sink or something, but both are 10s. Different ones, granted, but 10s.
 

CloneMC16

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He's a #10 being asked to play as a #8. He's doing his best, but this isn't his position. We need an upgrade next season. A player with Eriksen's ability on the ball, while also having defensive and more physical traits.

He's been mostly good this season, though. His weaknesses become more apparent in the big games.
 

norm87cro

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I like him very much but he is not or ever will be a midfield enforcer. And being played like this is not his fault.
 

kthanksbye

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He's still a really good player, he's just having to play a LOT and in a different position, it's manageable against teams where we dominate possession, but when we don't have the ball, he struggles.
We should really be looking at someone like DeJong, especially now that we have Casemiro, we'll be wasting his quality by not assembling a balanced midfield that can get the best out of him and Bruno.
 

Son

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We knew this when we signed him that:

1. He’s an attacking Mid
2. He should be a squad player

He’s done amazingly well considering. Yes we need a playmaker but we can’t get that currently. The title of this post might as well be “Water is Wet”.
 

Fortitude

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Eriksen needs his playing time managed, but we're so threadbare, we play him into the ground instead. Was clear as early as November that you would see him fade in second halves and struggle more with accumulative fatigue than others. For his own good he should be playing less so we can extract quality over quantity and get more of his best and a lot less of his worst.

Ultimately, he's a stop-gap in the sense he's upgradeable as a starter, but put him further forward or have him be the rotation option off the bench and he's a superb squad member. Don't know if he'd be accepting of that, but it should be where we're heading with him.

Don't want to fault the player when the world and its dog knows what'll happen to him beyond 60 in a high octane, two-way game.
 

Hughie77

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Come on, Eriksen with Casimero has been top, and the 3 with Fred against City worked. Summer signings hopefully will have CM in it as the 2 are over 30.
 

Davie Moyes

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Pretty much. When he's playing like that it's like having 10 men. Add to that Mctominay next to him, awb at right back and no Martial upfront and struggling to put together moves isn't a surprise.
Your bolded comment is absolutely spot on. Sums up exactly our weak links including in this match.

I think Eriksen has been a very good signing especially on a free and the ilk of signings we should me making (younger versions though). I thought he should have been substituted off for Fred. If we had kept Antony on, then Zinchencko would be kept more occupied instead of bombing forward and Bruno going wide right which never works.
 

Tom Van Persie

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He's a quality player but as others have said we have nobody else like him so he has to play every game which isn't ideal. Along with striker, a midfielder to partner with Casemiro is probably our biggest priority in the summer.
 

JB7

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He makes things happen; only De Bruyne has more assists in the league so far this season. 7 assists in the league (9 total), 5 in his last 8 league games. I was surprised he didn't come off for Fred yesterday but let's not re-write things too much, he's a good player.