The best way to describe Manchester United’s season so far is inconsistent, as highlighted by their seventh position in the Premier League table after 19 matches.
Last time out, Erik ten Hag’s team proudly celebrated a classic United comeback as they overturned a two-goal deficit to beat Aston Villa 3-2.
6/10 star who lost possession 25x was Man Utd's saviour alongside Garnacho
A Man Utd star’s performance went under the radar against Aston Villa.
ByTom LeverDec 27, 2023
Today, the Red Devils travel to the City Ground, where they will take on Nuno Espirito Santo’s Nottingham Forest.
When the two clubs met in the reverse fixture, a certain £150k per week United star terrorised the Forest side.
Christian Eriksen’s performances vs Forest
Coincidentally, the last time prior to this week that United completed a 3-2 comeback after going two behind in the first half was when Forest travelled to Old Trafford in August. The man who was the catalyst for that victory was Christian Eriksen, who scored the first of United’s three goals.
The goal highlighted the Dane’s ability to drift into dangerous positions without being picked up. Eriksen showed goal-scoring instincts to follow in a Bruno Fernandes shot, which was parried by the keeper. He then remained inside the six-yard box, got across the centre-back, and confidently flicked home Marcus Rashford’s cross at the near post.
The ex-Spurs player controlled the tie from that point on, dropping deeper and progressing the play to teammates having 'given more balance' in the centre of the park – as per GOAL's Richard Martin – which will be needed this weekend once again as Forest are extremely physical and aggressive.
Eriksen was also immense during the Red Devils' last trip to the City Ground, where they won 2-0. He once again showed his creativity and eye for a goal in that game, despite failing to register a goal contribution. His ability to dictate the play was also vital, as it brought composure to the United side in possession.
The table below shows some statistics from that fixture and hints at what could be seen this weekend.
xG
0.64
xA
0.31
Key passes
3
Accurate passes
56/63 (89%)
Ground duels (won)
2 (2)
Christian Eriksen vs Aston Villa this week
When Eriksen was named in the starting XI against the Villans, it was the first time in over a month that he had started a match due to a knee injury, which saw him miss eight matches. However, the spell out didn’t seem to affect the 31-year-old, as he performed brilliantly throughout his 89 minutes on the field.
His role in the side was to provide support to Kobbie Mainoo, both In and out of possession, however, he was at the centre of United’s comeback. The former Ajax star often dropped slightly deeper to pick up the ball, which helped Ten Hag’s team massively in the buildup phase. The "magician,” as dubbed by ex-teammate Dele Alli, made the team tick and acted as the glue between each third.
Eriksen’s technical quality and class allowed United to evade the Villa press, linking up with Fernandes and Mainoo to devastating effect. The midfielder was energetic and used his intelligence and ability to read the game to regain possession for his side.
The table below portrays his performance via a handful of statistics.
Passes into final third
7
Dispossessed
0
Chances created
1
Touches
56
Recoveries
10
Although he isn’t the most athletic and can be a liability at times out of possession – having been dribbled past 1.1 times per game this season – Eriksen brings control and calmness to the United team, which is why Ten Hag trusts him and why he should start against Forest later.