parklane1
Tony Galvin
Eriksen did more defending than any other player who has played in the 3 in our 4-2-3-1. Defending isn't just about going in for tackles.
Every week I watch us and see the opposing full back push forward and Son/Dele/Moura look at them pushing on and not make the sprint to go and cover that run, I never saw that from Eriksen. Get your shape right in defence, with every player taking care of his direct opponent and you tend to defend well, goals generally come from teams creating numerical overloads. I would much rather all of my attacking midfield players took this responsibility than do so when they choose but go in for the odd 50-50.
I could not agree more about Eriksen and his defending, some fans get excited about going to ground and throwing themselves into tackles ( Eriksen never did). But on most occasions players who make a habit of throwing themselves into tackles ( Rose is a good example) do so because they have got themselves into poor positions, misread the flow of the game and got themselves into wrong shape.