Sunday 21 January 2018 17:38, UK
Ahead of Tottenham's Super Sunday trip to Southampton, Christian Eriksen tells Sky Sports' Johnny Phillips about the team-mates who should be getting more attention and why confidence is flowing right now.
It is a measure of how far Spurs have come recently, that a manager as pragmatic as Sam Allardyce could only watch on in anguish as his Everton side fell apart at the hands of their opponents at Wembley last weekend.
As Allardyce said afterwards, his side knew where the dangers would come from - but it is another thing coping with such attacking verve on the pitch.
It was the performance of Heung-Min Son that once again caught the eye. The South Korea international arrived as the most expensive Asian player in history when he moved from Bayer Leverkusen, but the £22m outlay is looking like shrewd business.
"He could have had a lot more attention than he has had because he has done very well since he's been here," says Christian Eriksen, speaking to Soccer Saturday ahead of Tottenham's Super Sunday trip to Southampton.
"At the beginning here he was getting used to the rhythm of the Premier League but now he's topping up the performances with the goals and he's great to play alongside."
Eriksen added the fourth goal of the evening against Everton, capping a fantastic passing move that involved every player in the team.
"You mostly see it afterwards," he says. "During the game you don't really notice how many guys have touched the ball because you're just focusing on where you need to be.
"Luckily I was in the right place, so it was good to finish the move off. Afterwards the talk was about how everyone touched it, but at the time you don't notice that. As a team goal it's definitely up there with the best."
Spurs have not been attracting headlines in the January transfer window. Unlike the other sides in that top-six bracket, there appears to be a total focus on playing matters right now.
Since the defeat at Manchester City, Mauricio Pochettino's side have swatted opponents aside with a swagger. Only West Ham have taken a point from them, with dominant victories over Burnley, Southampton, Swansea and Everton impressing onlookers.
Perhaps as important as any transfer business has been the return to fitness of Victor Wanyama after his injury problems. Eriksen identifies the player as an important part of the squad going forward.
"He's a fantastic team-mate. A team player who always puts his foot in and does the work for the team," the Denmark international says.
"On the pitch, I know if I go forward there is a guy behind me who will try to win the ball back so we can go forward again. He knows his role and he plays it very well. On the pitch you can trust him; he's safe on the ball, a good passer, a good tackler and of course he's a strong guy who you don't get past very easily. He has a bit of everything for a holding midfielder."
Supporters are buoyant at the moment, with good reason too. The new stadium is taking shape as each week passes and the team have shown their mettle, overcoming the setbacks of playing at Wembley and remaining competitive in the hunt for Champions League places. The knockout stage of European competition is also on the horizon.
"It will be good to test ourselves against Juventus. We're feeling very confident at the moment," Eriksen adds. "We've been in a good place for a while now. It will be a good match to see how far we've really come."
But will Spurs' season be judged on whether or not they can lift a trophy at the end of it?
"Depends on how it goes," Eriksen says. "You could play a very good game against Juve and still lose and it would be very disappointing, but we could also go on and see how far that competition goes for us.
"Everyone says to take one game at a time but there's nothing else we can do. It's the same in all the cup games and we'll see where we go next. We feel comfortable and confident right now."
Southampton on Sunday have been warned but, as Everton found out last week, stopping this Spurs team is easier said than done.
See the full interview with Christian Eriksen on Soccer Saturday and watch Southampton v Tottenham live on Super Sunday.
