Stats are bollocks is always the funniest thing to read, because goals and assists don't decide games obviously
In games like yesterday, the one stat that truly mattered was delivered by the player that has been delivering the same stats for ages. The same stat that helps us reach our goals, obviously he's having a difficult time but true top players deliver even when they are tired and struggling a bit.
And that's what Eriksen is doing, some of you are not worthy and have forgotten (or never watched) the dross that we used to have.
I'd suggest meeting up with some top level scouts, you'd be surprised how different they look at football and the more i learn the more i understand now why it all comes down to stats.
the goal contributions (both in attacking and defensive areas) are what makes a player great for a team.
Next up : why Kane is slow and we should focus on that, or why Son needs to learn to pass
Celebrate the skillset, stop focussing on the negatives.
We fucking won a very important game in a very difficult period, by a fantastic strike and still the moaning continues.
so what you are saying in effect is that we should ignore
all of his misplaced passes
His massive drop in ability to take free kicks
His almost total inability to hit a corner either;
- past the first defender on the near edge of the 6 yard box
- Or even get it into the middle of the 6 yard box at a headable height
His recently acquired habit of trying shit like he did at city for their disallowed goal (which saved him a whole world of abuse)
We all know he has plenty of ability, we have seen it. We know clubs are courting him because of that ability, but are you telling me that just because of a few arcane facts that we should totally ignore the evidence of our eyes (some of us have watched a lot of football and know what influential and productive players on good form actually look like) and simply hang on to some meaningless drivel about how far he runs, or touches in the opponents half, or what heat maps show us?
I'm not some luddite that ignores facts or science and I have the evidence of my own eyes to see the massive improvements in the way the game is played, particularly with fitness and recovery of players. But people who swallow the myth of facts whole without being able to correlate them to what actually happens on a football pitch (Blakey being a prime example) are only fooling themselves.
I would rather have the Eriksen of old, who actually looked like he was influencing games and doing stuff that made us all smile and glow with pride.
And I think I'm not alone in thinking that as good as his play and goal was last night, he ain't the player he has been, and even now his team mates know it, because he doesn't take corners or free kicks any more, and we are becoming more reliant on the rest of the team to keep the momentum going.
Not that it (the other players stepping up) isn't a good thing, but it almost seems like the lads sulking about something.
He's keeping his head above water with the goals and assists - but he's having to paddle a lot harder to keep himself from drowning.