“If I was not enjoying it, I would be on a beach somewhere doing something else,” Christian Eriksen tells Sky Sports. “Whether it is sunshine or raining, even when it is snowing, I am still enjoying football.” And football is still enjoying Christian Eriksen.
“It has always been about the same thing, the love of it, just that feeling of being a football player, on the pitch, running after a ball. Obviously, you want to win and play in the best possible teams you can. But I think that love of football never leaves you.”
His new team Wolfsburg are not exactly flying in the Bundesliga. Earlier this month, they lost 8-1 to Bayern Munich. “Not nice at all.” But Eriksen scored as they bounced back with a win over St Pauli. “We had a lot of stuff we had to prove to ourselves,” he says.
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Highlights of the Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg
He also provided the cross for the late equaliser against Heidenheim at the weekend. Watching him up close on a bitterly cold day at the Volkswagen Arena, fans of the midfield maestro can rest assured that, even at the age of 33, the old Eriksen magic remains.
His five chances created in the game were as many as his team-mates managed between them and included one lovely ball over the top that should have brought the opening goal. Playing off the right, he drops deep, floats around, has freedom to roam.
Eriksen’s touch map and chances created for Wolfsburg this season
In his pomp at Tottenham, Eriksen did all that and more and was arguably the Premier League’s outstanding creative force. A big claim but the numbers support that. During his Spurs career nobody provided more assists or created more chances than the Dane.
Gut feeling for Wolfsburg
He also scored more goals from outside the box than any other Premier League player in that time. Wolfsburg fans have not seen one yet but this Rolls-Royce of a player feels at home in Volkswagen country. “I just had a gut feeling it would suit me,” he explains.
“I could see myself playing for Wolfsburg, trying the Bundesliga. It is a very open league. One team can be 3-0 up in the last 10 minutes and it can still end up 3-3. There is a lot going on and every team wants to play a little bit. It is an exciting league to watch and to play in.”
Remarkably, the Heidenheim game came 16 years to the day since Eriksen made his professional debut for Ajax. “Has it been 16 years since my debut? I have had a fun 16 years,” he says. “It is still fun.” But the hair is thinning and those team-mates are getting younger.
“All the new players coming up, they are born in the 2000s, even the late 2000s. That is weird,” he says, smiling a little, amusing himself at the thought. “I am around such young kids. At the same time, although in football terms I am obviously very old, I do not feel old.”
Eriksen is something of an elder statesman in the Wolfsburg team
More time looking at a computer
So, how exactly has football changed over these past 16 years, then? Where to begin. “It has gone through different stages in terms of possession, then a bit of tactical work, then about possession again, then a lot of pressing, then a lot of athleticism,” he explains.
“Now, there are a lot of stats going around, a lot of numbers you have got to hit, so there is a lot more time spent looking at the computer. You have to hit a certain amount of kilometres in training just to make sure you are in the right place for the next game.
“Years ago, that was not there. It was just on a hunch. Do you feel good? Okay, you are ready to go. Now, everything else is taken into consideration. What is your load? How many high-speed runs do you need to do? How many extra sprints do you need to do?”
Eriksen in action for Wolfsburg in the game against Heidenheim
Maybe I wasn’t suited for him
He sounds a little bemused. “Even strikers now are the first guys to press. Double runs, triple runs.” But he has been able to adapt. And he has done so having come through that moment nobody will ever be able to forget at the European Championship in 2021.
He almost lost more than his career that day in Copenhagen but recovered to add more chapters to his football story. Brentford offered a route back before he spent three seasons at Manchester United. But there was no role for him under Ruben Amorim.
“As a player, I did not feel he was going to look my way, in every sense. Of course, then you struggle a bit football-wise. But person-wise, we had a decent relationship, nothing wrong there. He has one idea. Maybe I was a style of player not really suited for him.”
Eriksen spent three seasons at Manchester United before moving on
Brentford was safe for Frank
He insists that he wants the best for the club and believes “a new manager brings new ideas” and sees it as a “chance for everyone” again. Kobbie Mainoo, especially? “I hope for anyone, it does not matter if it is Kobbie or someone else. I hope the club has success.”
Eriksen is well placed to assess the issues at Spurs too, having played under Thomas Frank at Brentford. Is he surprised to see Frank’s struggles? “Yes and no,” he says. “I mean, the pressure is bigger. Of course, Brentford for a long time was a safe place.”
He adds: “Now, he is in a new place with new eyes and people want something else. I hope he gets the time to change it and see what he can do. But I know football moves quickly and there are a lot of new ideas this week and then next week it will be another idea.”
If Eriksen sounds like he has seen it all in football, one wonders what is left for him. The World Cup playoffs in March are on his mind. “The chance to play at the World Cup would be special. That is the first aim and to hopefully have a big tournament after,” he says.
Eriksen is hoping to qualify for the World Cup with Denmark
Enjoying what is ahead
His contract at Wolfsburg has another season to run after this and he is determined to see an improvement. “We have lost way too many games this season. But we are on a better run now than we were before.” As for the personal goals, well, they never change.
“Just to keep improving and just to have fun on a football pitch. I mean, that is what I have been doing for so many years,” But does he cherish all this a bit more after what he has been through? “I think I am just enjoying the moment, as I was before,” he adds.
“But at the same time, I know what you can lose. So, I am happy with what I have. Maybe I am not cherishing it more but I am just enjoying what is ahead.” What is certain is that we should cherish every opportunity we get to see Christian Eriksen playing football.
