Something is not right but I seriously doubt it's a lack of guts. It looks like a lack of fitness and match sharpness to me. He has never been the strongest but when fully fit and up to match sharpness he has the energy to compete. It takes courage to go out there and face a team playing at the level of intensity Liverpool, more so when you are not fully up to speed and in front of a supercritical baying mob.
Why tho
@thfcsteff can I ask why you are singling out Eriksen? Are you questioning Alli, Kane, Lamela who've all been less than impressive? Lamela the best of the bunch but he gave away the pen.
The whole team is not on point yet.
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You absolutely can ask mate. In fairness, I thought I'd been very clear about my reasons earlier (in one thread or another) but happy to state my opinion again. Here are some reasons.
1) I have questioned him for a couple of seasons, waited to see him push on and become more as I believe there's more in there'd that he simply doesn't always apply himself.
2) Eriksen/his agent have put themselves under the microscope. My understanding is that several times last season we attempted to up his wages significantly, but he chose to hold out thinking he could force the club hand and become our highest paid player. Fair play to him for thinking that way, but it does place a weight of expectation on you - especially from folks like me who have not been 100% convinced you're the messiah!
3) Alli, Kane and Lamela have all shown far, far more intent on and off the ball. Each has continued to put a shift in/try to seek out attacking movements/looked to create and forage something out for either themselves or a teammate. Those three would have excuses not to, given they spent their summers playing tournament football and have had no breaks. Christian got a (deserved) rest. Glad he did, absolutely deserved it, but so did the three. And Walker, Rose, Dier for that matter...
4) On Saturday, Alli and Kane started in their old positions for the first time this season; Walker's injury forced them ALL to reshuffle and re-accomodate their roles for the team as Dier had to drop into FB. I would say that Lamela was working his gonads off being back there and covering, thus for me he absolutely escapes accountability. He gave away a 'pen' (some feel it was outside the box - personally I'd have given it), it happens, he was trying to do the right thing but was ultimately an attacking midfielder caught covering on his own goal-line.
5) Kane has two to three men on him every time and is playing at the half-way line. Put simply it is no wonder he hasn't found form yet, but the guy still gives it his all.
Christian got called aside by Poch second half and given instructions. I could not tell exactly what, but they looked to me like Poch was giving him the license to roam more between the lines, to get into the pockets of space which were there and to get inside the channels where the Liverpool defense was suspect (remember Alli was deeper at this point). He did so for 10 minutes, a period during which we scored. I want him to be more positive for 90. When he gets a ball facing goal 40-45 yards out, look to drive and create, look for forward passes, don't hide in holes and play 5 yard square passes all the time (obviously sometimes it's necessary)...his head isn't there, and for the third season running I am questioning whether we can rely on him to be THE man we need him to be mate.
Again, I wish dearly to be wrong, and if he proves me so, I will happily eat humble pie, my hat, whatever (I've never been afraid to be wrong)...ut right now, he is on the precipice and he needs to either be THE man or be the next Chadli in my view...IF Isco comes in for a year, IF that happens, it will show us all. When we signed ben Davies I predicted it would make Danny Rose because he's a fighter. Let's hope something like that happens to Christian IF Isco comes, and if he doesn't, let's hope he digs deep and motors on anyway...
