[Regulus Arcturus Black]

I think he and Casemiro pretty much owned that midfield, but what do I know.

 

[Rozay]

Short passing was very good today and helped us control it. Still not totally sure about him and Bruno as a pair though going the other way.

He has a wonderful left foot too.

 

[MiracleInMadrid]

I think he and Casemiro pretty much owned that midfield, but what do I know.

The composure, vision and passing ability the two of them possess compared to Fred and Mctominay is amazing. Two completely different worlds

 

[A-man]

What a player. Another great game and he is so important for us that I have nightmares about him getting injured.

 

[Ole'sgunnarwin]

Casameiro, Eriksen and Bruno. It's not perfect, defensively there are problems but my god it's refreshing to finally see genuinely good footballers in the middle of the park after years of McFred.

 

[bond19821982]

Ideally both Bruno and Eriksen can be upgraded but that's least of our priorities now. Love watching him play !

Best signing we have made in years !!

 

[Abraxas]

Seems to get one or two good looks at goal every game. Feels like one will rifle in from the edge of the box soon.

 

[Redderp]

It’s crazy how different people can view a match. I had my doubts before the game, but Casemiro and Eriksen completely ran the show from midfield which helped us dominate Everton. I thought Eriksen had a great game. He saw a lot of the ball and really made us tick in midfield. Probably his best game passing wise, he basically never gave the ball away. Second highest passing completion percentage and he saw a lot of the ball. He is really good at knowing when to up the tempo and when to slow down and he can break the lines on a consistent basis with his passing. I thought he was one of the few players that wasn’t sloppy with his passing. The more touches Eriksen have in a game and the more passes he makes the better we look. We just look better the more he is involved.

I still think we need to play a 3 man midfield in bigger games, but Eriksen have really stepped up as a makeshift CM.

This game was by far our best game under EtH and the first time we felt like a big club that really dominated an opponent.

 

[The Corinthian]

I'd like to see him given a run as our #10, and maybe bring on McT, Donny or Fred next to Casemiro.

 

[Regulus Arcturus Black]

I'd like to see him given a run as our #10, and maybe bring on McT, Donny or Fred next to Casemiro.

Barf

 

[The Corinthian]

Barf

Fart.

 

[Lyng]

I think he and Casemiro pretty much owned that midfield, but what do I know.

That's how I saw the match aswell. We would have been run over without those two.

 

[KeanoMagicHat]

Probably the closest thing to Scholes in his 30s we’ve had since he retired, love the way he controls and sprays the ball. I thought he was good tonight.

 

[Solius]

Anyone notice recently he keeps playing a lot of passes with his weaker foot?

It doesn’t seem situational. Almost like he’s actively choosing the left instead of the right.

 

[DWelbz19]

Anyone notice recently he keeps playing a lot of passes with his weaker foot?

It doesn’t seem situational. Almost like he’s actively choosing the left instead of the right.

He’s extremely two footed, always has been. Probably one of the best in the league on either foot.

 

[Maagge]

I think we're at our best when he's involved. Often when he's able to thread a pass through to Bruno or someone else on the half turn.
Downside is I'm not sure he can play to the best of his abilities consistently when he's asked to play almost 90 minutes every game in a season like this. We'll see how he's managed but I'd probably stick him on the bench in the next game, then he can come on if we're struggling to put moves together.

 

[Red_Aaron]

I'm quickly falling in love with this guy. Always liked him as a player but you really appreciate the class when you see it week in week out. It's a real throwback to the days when we had actual midfielders playing for us every match!

Wouldn't have had him pegged as someone in a 2-man midfield but he's one of those you could play anywhere on the pitch and he'd produce. A master level operator

 

[Borys]

Everytime he's around the box he looks like scoring / assisting. When he plays CM he's fine, but we're sacrificing him to play Bruno in the only position he can actually play.
I believe playing Eriksen in more advanced position takes us to next level, but I have little hopes of that happening.

Turns out I was actually wrong and we did bring Eriksen to play him in midfield two.

 

[OmarUnited4ever]

Not his best game but he was alright, dominated the midfield, made runs into the box and the left flank, but his delivery from set-pieces left a lot to be desired.

Earned a rest in the EL game vs Omonia at OT, as he has become extremely important for us and must be managed properly

 

[Olecurls99]

Give him a rest Thursday. Brilliant player who could do with a week of recovery

 

[DanishPastry]

He still plays out of position, which is a shame, so i will loose battles in defense, and he gets pushed back, when weaker players move forward like McT, or Fred who are not really playmakers. Casemiro, will hopefully find some speed, because he did loose a LOT of balls against everton.

So it is a shame that he "works" as a CM/CDM because he works SO much better on Bruno´s position, and to be honest, he is not playing up to scratch, they need a strong captain, Eriksen on the CAM and Bruno on the side...

the Man C showed that he has nothing to do in the defensive box.. but also an utter stupidity to put him to try and push Haaland away..

Hopefully he gets to play a more offensive role in future games. and Ten hag tries to actually use him with value, even on the side, just to keep him a bit out of the rough part of the defensive tasks.

 

[elmo]

Think he’s clearly our most important player now. We look lost every time he’s off the pitch.

 

[Marcelinho87]

He's crucial for us, seems he is underrated around here already.

He may not be giving 10 out of 10's every match but his presence is enough to keep oppo players on their toes which in turn significantly weakens their approach.

 

[SmashedHombre]

Everytime he's around the box he looks like scoring / assisting. When he plays CM he's fine, but we're sacrificing him to play Bruno in the only position he can actually play.
I believe playing Eriksen in more advanced position takes us to next level, but I have little hopes of that happening.

Turns out I was actually wrong and we did bring Eriksen to play him in midfield two.

Because of the space Bruno is making for him with his constant running. Fernandes' work ethic is constantly dragging players out of position for our midfielders to exploit. You can't just take A and move it to B without expecting ramifications throughout the team. Not to mention if you move Eriksen further forward then you don't have anyone in midfield who will be able to find Eriksen with forward passes. Eriksen playing deeper is best for the team as a whole. And for once we're finally starting to see a cohesive midfield unit, full of quality. I hope we don't mess around with that.

 

[Mike Smalling]

Give him a rest Thursday. Brilliant player who could do with a week of recovery

Agree. We must be able to beat Nicosia at home without him.

 

[Guapa]

Probably my favorite player this season.Hope he gets a rest though when needed and can see him growing and running it as a UTD player as the season goes on.

 

[criticalanalysis]

Because of the space Bruno is making for him with his constant running. Fernandes' work ethic is constantly dragging players out of position for our midfielders to exploit. You can't just take A and move it to B without expecting ramifications throughout the team. Not to mention if you move Eriksen further forward then you don't have anyone in midfield who will be able to find Eriksen with forward passes. Eriksen playing deeper is best for the team as a whole. And for once we're finally starting to see a cohesive midfield unit, full of quality. I hope we don't mess around with that.

Yes this is true, although I think the hope is that by playing Eriksen as the furthest midfielder, we will have a 10, who is isn't masquerading as a second striker. You will definitely lose Bruno's athleticism/dynamism on the half turns and in transition but perhaps we'll have Eriksen help us dictate play more and feed your Rashford/Antony/Sanchos so they can have their one-on-ones.

In short Eriksen would less likely to be in those half spaces and with his back to goal but instead seeing the pitch ahead of him (and in front of or beside two other ball recycling and winning midfielders) where he can do more 'progressive' damage. It's not so black and white but this current model isn't sustainable. Casemiro did a fine job imo but not every team will be as meek as Everton.

 

[Frank Grimes]

I have a feeling he will score his first goal for us at the weekend.

 

[Irwin99]

Have been really impressed with him bar one or two games (the City game for instance). He just links everything together and works really hard to get the team moving.

I wonder if we have another player in the squad that could do anything near the job he does and to a good level? I hope he gets a well deserved rest in midweek.

 

[yfoFC]

Should be an injury, no?

 

[JJ12]

Should be an injury, no?

Illness

 

[GMoore23]

The last 2 games reaffirm how important he is to us. Without him in the side we're just like we were under Ole.

 

[elmo]

We need him healthy. We won’t win anything if he misses the game.

 

[justboy68]

Imagine if we hadn't managed to sign this bloke on a free in the summer. All that money spent and this guy is probably the most vital signing. He's made a few mistakes and not been perfect by any means, but blimey how often is a free signing as essential as this to a team?

 

[Scroto Baggins]

Downside is I'm not sure he can play to the best of his abilities consistently when he's asked to play almost 90 minutes every game in a season like this. We'll see how he's managed but I'd probably stick him on the bench in the next game, then he can come on if we're struggling to put moves together.

I mean he is still only 30, I recall at Spurs under Pochettino he covered a lot of ground with their hard and fast pressing style. The top three in the team for covering ground was Alli, Eriksen, Lamela. But this was before his heart problems.

Probably get the best out of him at one game a week nowadays, put him on ice for the non essential games or maybe bring him on for the final half hour in those games if needed.

 

[Maagge]

I mean he is still only 30, I recall at Spurs under Pochettino he covered a lot of ground with their hard and fast pressing style. The top three in the team for covering ground was Alli, Eriksen, Lamela. But this was before his heart problems.

Probably get the best out of him at one game a week nowadays, put him on ice for the non essential games or maybe bring him on for the final half hour in those games if needed.

I don't doubt he'll do the running. He's always done that. It's more if he'll play with the same quality game in game out. But to be honest I think that's the same for everyone when the season is as congested as it is. Someone like Dalot looks set to play every game he's fit for.

 

[Real Name]

Season average rating of just 6.0. Maybe people were giving him 5s after City game or even 4s.

I rarely go below 6, player needs to have a disastrous game to get a 5 from me.

 

[IrishRedDevil]

Is he back for Spurs?

 

[ShinjiNinja26]

Is he back for Spurs?

I certainly hope so. We badly miss his creativity in the centre of the park as was very evident against Newcastle.

 

[Rob Bowman]

Anyone know his status for tonight?

Any rumors from our Manchester based Cafe members?