I agree, I think it's the first time in a long while where we haven't had a stand-out candidate or someone way above the others..
However, when going with defence, it's almost impossible to name one single player because it's always a collective-unit and having a strong defensive team requires all 5 (goalkeeper) or 6 (3 at the back) to be on the same level throughout. That's why it's always rare to see defenders win player of the season awards because their talent and attributes are matched with their partners. Same goes for Goalkeepers, they're yin and yang, complementary to each other to succeed.
That's why picking out a player of the year always goes to the midfielder or forwards, the ones who do most of the work on their own or win a game through a few magical strikes during the duration of the season..
But after re-watching a few highlights, looking back at our games and figuring out how we've been so successful, I can't look past our magician.
Eriksen joined Tottenham when he was just 21. For a playmaker you tend to reach your prime after you turn 25. He celebrated that birthday this year in February and the experience he's picked up of playing in the most competitive league in the world has mirrored onto the pitch.
But the reason for why I'm picking him is because of 2 very important factors, one of which is a necessity to play under Pochettino.
The first is his playmaking ability. He joined a 'top' league from Ajax (I mean no disrespect to the Dutch league) at the most perfect time of his career. He was beginning to really outgrow the Eredivisie and when he transferred he mentioned how picking a team where he would be guaranteed to start was the final push to choosing Tottenham. He could have gone for the extra money but this boy loves playing football, and he knew he would get playing time here. He was already one of the world's best prospects so he needed time to settle into a league and show what he could do.
He had bad patches during his time here, but over the past 2 seasons you can see how much experience has helped him navigating those passes, threading them through perfectly for the onward runners in our fullbacks, Alli, Son and Kane. It requires time to create a perfect balance and magnet with your fellow players, and he's found that with Alli and Kane. He knows how they like to delay their runs, where they position themselves in the box, when to pass and the thing which really makes Eriksen so special was showcased recently against Crystal Palace. He's done it for 4 seasons and he'll keep doing it for the rest of his career. His long shot ability and scoring goals from nothing, matched with his passing is what makes him one of the best playmakers in world football.
However that's just one part of his game. The other part is what Pochettino requires in all of his players. Eriksen is a runner, he always has been from a young age and will continue to be under our current regime of fighting for the ball. The famous chant which ends in 'Makes ozil look shite' isn't just rivalry banter. He's beginning to grow into his prime and what separates him from ozil the most are his energy levels. You will always see him chasing after the ball, wanting it, coming deep to feed from the defenders, play a long ball out wide or create an invisible signal for Dele to make that run only to pick him out perfectly.
He sees more than any other player in our team and he is the magician who pulls all the strings. He is the only player in our team who connects with all the others and if you look at who he passes to and gets the ball from you will see how every player on the pitch, when moving forward, is either getting the ball from or giving it to Eriksen.
To keep it simple, on the ball he is a top 3 spurs player. Off the ball he is a top 3 spurs player. And no other player falls under both those categories as well as him. He is only going to get better and we have to enjoy every minute we have of him.
Eriksen-sen-sen...
