Mathew Cohen’s article “Christian Eriksen establishes his importance in pre-season friendly against Arsenal” today, July 28, 2024

Christian Eriksen was instrumental in Manchester United’s first preseason encounter in the United States, a 2-1 loss to Arsenal.

Eriksen, who came off the bench at halftime as a substitute for Erik ten Hag, proved once and for all how important he is to the midfield play of Manchester United. His absence in the first half was evident.

The experienced midfielder finally got going with a dangerous long-range shot that the Arsenal defense saved just thirty minutes before the half-hour mark. After winning the ensuing corner, the Dane stepped up to take it, sending a dangerous cross that went wide of the goal. It was a shame nobody on his squad was in a position to score from a simple tap-in.

Eriksen had a moment of brilliance in the 75th minute. Jadon Sancho started a good run after receiving a pinpoint pass from Eriksen, who stood yards outside United’s penalty area. The final Arsenal defender he needed to beat in order to get in on goal dispossessed him, which was a major setback.

Throughout the match, Eriksen’s set pieces maintained an intimidating presence. His corner kick nearly found its way into the back of the net five minutes before the end of regulation time, but the Arsenal goalkeeper was compelled to clear the ball off the line. Just seconds before halftime, Jonny Evans headed in a corner from Eriksen and scored, but the goal was disallowed for a foul on the goalkeeper.

It is surprising that Eriksen only got 19 touches throughout his 45 minutes on the field, considering how important he was in the match. Still, according to sofascore.com’s statistics, he was effective with the ball in his hands, finishing six of eight passes for a completion percentage of 75%.

Three of Eriksen’s seven attempted crosses went in, while two of his three long balls were well-executed.

The midfielder won a single ground duel despite having limited time on the ball. He did not engage in any aircraft combat.

On the offensive, Eriksen was very restrained, managing only to get off a single shot before having it saved. His passing was not very impressive, but he did create a few good scoring chances from corners.

With such little time with the ball, Eriksen’s seven possession losses are cause for concern. His defensive play, however, more than compensated for this weakness.

The holding midfielder repeatedly drew back to reinforce his defense. The fact that Eriksen made one tackle in addition to an interception demonstrates his excellent effort all over the field.

In sum, Eriksen shown that, despite his advanced years, he remains an integral component of United’s midfield. This talented and dedicated star will make Ten Hag think twice before leaving.