Inter Milan lost 2-0 to Juventus on Sunday, in a match which could be hugely important for the Serie A title race.
Antonio Conte’s side would have been 2nd, three points behind Juve had they won, and five points behind Lazio, with a game in hand on both. Instead they find themselves third and drifting away.
Christian Eriksen was supposed to be a boost to Conte’s title challenge, with Inter signing him from Tottenham in January. There was huge hype in Italy around the move, and it was thought the Spurs man could provide creativity when needed, such as against Juventus.
However, it’s been the version of Eriksen seen towards the end of his Tottenham days, under both Jose Mourinho and Mauricio Pochettino, rather than when he was in his Spurs pomp.
Gazzetta dello Sport rated the Denmark international 5/10 against Juve, the same mark they gave to Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez. Eriksen only had 31 minutes, coming on as a substitute, and it follows 13 minutes against Lazio and 18 against AC Milan.
Gazzetta have published an article asking what’s wrong with Eriksen’s situation. He’s described as a ‘mysterious object’ who is ‘difficult to place tactically’, and it’s said to be ‘clear there’s a problem’.
It’s not thought Eriksen has the fire Conte wants, and he was unable to get into the game against Juventus and show the hunger desired. In reality, that’s not really part of Eriksen’s game, and he was hardly a lion on the leash at Tottenham.
Conte needs to find a way to fit his expensive signing into the Inter system.
