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Christian Eriksen produced a strong performance during Manchester United’s narrow 2-1 loss to Arsenal in the first match of their pre-season tour of the US.
As one of Erik ten Hag’s half-time substitutes, Eriksen showed just how crucial he is to Man United’s midfield and it was clear just how much his team missed him during the first half.
Less than half an hour from time, the veteran midfielder sparked to life, taking a threatening long-range effort that was blocked by the Arsenal defence. The Dane stepped up to take the resultant corner, curving in a threatening cross that flew across the face of goal. It was unfortunate that none of his teammates were positioned to take what would have been an easy tap-in goal.
One of Eriksen’s finest moments on the pitch came around the 75-minute mark. Standing just metres in front of United’s box, Eriksen booted a surgically precise ball up to Jadon Sancho, who launched a promising run. Unfortunately, he was dispossessed by the last Arsenal defender that he had to beat to be in on goal.
Eriksen’s set pieces remained threatening throughout the encounter. Five minutes from time, his corner kick almost resulted in a goal for the Dane, with the Arsenal keeper forced to punch the ball off the goal line. Seconds from time, Eriksen’s corner found the head of Jonny Evans, who scored, only for the goal to be disallowed due to a foul on the keeper.
Given his many crucial involvements in the clash, it’s hard to believe that Eriksen took just 19 touches in his 45 minutes on the field. Still, he proved efficient with the ball, completing six of eight passes for a 75% accuracy (stats from sofascore.com).
Eriksen’s long balls were well executed, with two of three reaching their targets, while three of his seven attempted crosses found their mark.
With little time on the ball, the midfielder only had one ground duel, which he won. He participated in no aerial duels.
On the attack, Eriksen was fairly muted, taking just his one shot which was blocked. None of his passes were considered to be key passes, however, he generated a handful of goalscoring opportunities from corners.
Eriksen lost possession on seven occasions, a slightly concerning statistic given the limited time he had on the ball. Still, he more than made up for this shortcoming through his defensive efforts.
Time and again, the holding midfielder dropped back in support of his defence. Eriksen made one tackle and an interception, showing his high work rate across the pitch.
Overall, Eriksen proved that he is still a core part of United’s midfield despite his age. Ten Hag will have to think twice before parting ways with this creative and hard-working star.
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