Christian Eriksen used two personal qualities to turn around his ailing Inter career, a report in the Italian media explained today.
Gazzetta dello Sport’s print edition said patience and hard work were the key factors behind the midfielder’s Nerazzurri revival, after he seemed certain to depart in January.
Eriksen has carved out a spot for himself in Inter’s starting XI despite not having the characteristics Antonio Conte traditionally seeks in his midfielders.
“Christian will never be a classic Conte ‘mezzala’, those players that are always tackling and making runs,” the Milan-based paper explained.
“But the improvement in Inter’s results is directly correlated to Conte using Eriksen more in midfield.”
Eriksen has learned how to defend by positioning himself in intelligent spaces at Inter, while also giving the Nerazzurri a play-making alternative to Marcelo Brozovic.
GdS suggested his stoppage time free-kick against AC Milan in January’s Coppa Italia quarter-final win was the turning point of his Inter career, and perhaps the team’s season in general.
Eriksen now has only one step left to make if he is to become completely dominant at Inter and that would be to start scoring more goals, the report suggested.
The 29-year-old has never struggled to find the back of net throughout his career and yet he has still not scored in Serie A all season.
“If he could start scoring on a regular basis again it would be a happy return to normality for Eriksen,” GdS concluded.
