Inter Must Stick With Christian Eriksen Despite Disappointing San Siro Start

With Inter ten minutes into their maiden Serie A encounter following calcio's resumption in June, Milan Skriniar picked out Lautaro Martinez with a well-directed lofted pass in behind.

After holding off Sampdoria defender Bartosz Bereszyński, El Toro then set free a surging Romelu Lukaku with a perfectly timed backheel before the Belgian played a give-and-go with the similarly onrushing Christian Eriksen.

The Dane's first-time return pass was nothing short of sublime, leaving Lukaku with no option but to score his 24th goal of an imperious campaign.

The sequence was not only a celebration of Antonio Conte's scintillating automatisms, but it also served as the catalyst for Eriksen's finest performance in Nerazzurri colours. In an opening 45 minutes in which Inter's supreme positional play overwhelmed Claudio Ranieri's side, the absence of Marcelo Brozovic enabled the Dane to serve as the metronome to Inter's play as the 'one' in a 3-4-1-2.

It was the sort of showing that even Spurs fans had forgotten he was capable of producing, and one we hadn't seen since his 2017 pomp; it included five shots, four chances created and the aforementioned assist - which really should've been three by the end of the night.

The Sampdoria fixture had come just days after a promising performance in the Coppa Italia at Napoli, but an underwhelming start to life in Milan meant his early post-lockdown form was seemingly a timely resurgence for not only the Nerazzurri but for the Dane's career as well.

Ever since he'd expressed to Mauricio Pochettino his desire to leave Tottenham in the summer of 2018, Eriksen had cut a demotivated and considerably inferior creator to the innovative genius on display in N17 during his scintillating peak.

His struggles continued following his £17m move to Inter in the winter. The 28-year-old wasn't the man to provide the Inter midfield with a much-needed spark following Stefano Sensi's injury woes, with a long-distance free-kick which rattled the upright in the Derby della Madonnina being the standout highlight in his opening three games in Nerazzurri colours.

Thus, he earned just 44 minutes in back-to-back defeats against Scudetto rivals Lazio and Juventus before that majestic Sampdoria display ensued in Inter's next league fixture - just three months later.

Surely now, a motivated and firing Eriksen would kick-on to spearhead the Nerazzurri's late-season Scudetto charge? Right?

Well, one goal and one assist - both coming in a 6-0 rout of the lowly Brescia - doesn't exactly scream 'renaissance', as Inter rounded off the domestic campaign with impressive victories over Napoli and Atalanta to finish a point behind a poor Bianconeri side in second.

Eriksen, meanwhile, was good enough for a whole minute of action in the aforementioned pair of triumphs.

The vintage Sampdoria showing served as nothing more than an anticlimactic false dawn.

Even amidst a bunch of bright cameo performances off the bench in the epilogue to the Europa League, Inter's 3-2 defeat in the final appeared to be another step back for Eriksen.

It was a contest in which the Nerazzurri's issues couldn't have been starker. Thwarted by the intensity of Sevilla's high press, the aggression of their full-backs and their own lack of dynamism on the flanks, Inter's front two cut isolated figures for the most part.

It's an issue Conte's had in plenty of his side's 'big' games during his debut campaign - hence their efficient pick-up of Achraf Hakimi - but the solution was a pretty simple one: bring on Christian Eriksen.

Their attacking ineptitude would've likely been mitigated by the presence of a bona fide between the lines playmaker in the form of the Dane, but it wasn't until the 78th minute when Conte made his much-needed switch. Too little, too late.

Was this a rare example of coaching incompetence on the Italian's behalf, or just outright negligence and a lack of trust in Eriksen?

Either way, news of Conte remaining at the club perhaps wasn't the best news from Eriksen's perspective, but there's no reason why the creative midfielder can't thrive under The Godfather's guidance - even if rumours have surfaced of a departure this summer.

With competition for places in Inter's midfield only set to increase following the inevitable arrival of Arturo Vidal and potential departures of functional pair Matias Vecino and Roberto Gagliardini, a £50m sale - Inter's valuation which no sane club will pay - may seem a reasonable get out. But the Nerazzurri shouldn't give up on such a gifted footballer after just a matter of months.

There's a reason why Beppe Marotta and co. splurged £17m in January to get ahead of the competition for an impending free agent. Eriksen remains one of the finest playmakers on the block, and although his tricky acclimatisation phase meant he wasn't able to spearhead Inter's Scudetto charge in the second half of the campaign, there's no doubting he could prove to be a key spoke in Antonio Conte's wheel.

While not physically imposing, Eriksen's blessed with the requisite energy and intensity levels to shine in Conte's fierce and disciplined system out of possession.

He may have to adjust to playing a little deeper if Conte continues to drift away from the 3-4-1-2, but Eriksen can still provide what he did time and time again for Spurs in Nerazzurri colours; wreaking havoc from crossing situations in the right half-space, and fluctuating between a deeper-lying 'dictator', if you will, to an advanced playmaker supporting the front two.

Oh, and his threat from distance can't be underestimated against sides who opt to park a bus or two.

Christian Eriksen's supreme talent remains - it's been on show in spurts since his Italian venture - and although he may have to adjust to serve as a protagonist in a destined title charge next term, his partnership with his grinta-obsessed string-puller undoubtedly has the potential to be great.

Stay patient, Interisti.