The Danish playmaker joined the Nerazzurri in January 2020 seeking a new challenge after six years at Tottenham. Following a short torrid spell at San Siro, Eriksen ended up playing a key role in Inter’s Serie A triumph this season.
Winning the Scudetto also lifted Eriksen’s spirits, with the former Spurs midfielder claiming that he feels happy and hopes to stay at the club for a long period.
Eriksen’s £20 million move from Spurs to Inter Milan didn’t exactly go as he had planned in his first year under Antonio Conte as he only started eight times out of his 17 league appearances in the 2019/20 season. The saga almost continued once again this campaign.
However, his capability and professionalism forced his way into Conte’s regular XI by mid-season and has been untouchable since. Known for his stupendous creativity Eriksen has made 31 appearances in all competitions and has been used more as a central midfielder in Italy and the 29-year-old recently opened up on his experience under his new coach saying,
“I was willing to learn new things when I arrived. I hadn’t understood I had to follow’s Conte system all the time.”
“Before, I was free to make decisions based on what I saw. It had a lot to do with intuition. Now, there is a general plan we have to follow. We must be ready, know where our team-mates are and where they can move.”
he told Gazzetta dello Sport.
The former Chelsea boss sparked controversy in the early days of the season by fielding Eriksen as a very late substitute in certain games. Soon the Dane was being linked with other European giants and was almost certain to leave Inter this January.
“I had to learn all this and adapt to a different pace. We spoke in January, and I’ve proved what I am able to do.”
“I have no revenge to take, I just play football. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it doesn’t. Six months ago I was living in a different situation, now we have a trophy and I can say I am really happy here at Inter.”
he added.
Although winning the Scudetto has upturned Conte’s future at San Siro, Inter’s financial issues over the last few years could cause problems and might allow the former Juventus coach to leave. But Eriksen claims Conte as an integral part of the team and can only hope that his boss stays at the realm.
“Conte is so important for each one of us, also for the way we play. We follow him and you see that on the pitch. However, his stay is not up to me, it depends on the club and him.”
Inter halted Juventus’ dominance of the Italian top-flight for nine consecutive years and were crowned Serie A champions after second-placed Atalatna’s 1-1 drew with Sassuolo last weekend. The Nerazzurri have an unassailable 13 point lead at the top with four matches remaining and are celebrating their first league glory after almost a decade.
The Bianconeri, under Andrea Pirlo, were favourites to lift the title yet again this season – but Antonio Conte’s side have tormented almost all their league opponents and were included in a fierce title race with cross-city rivals AC Milan till the Derby di Milano in February.
The lethal duo of Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez have been the fuel to Inter’s recent success. The Belgium international has netted 21 times with 10 further assists this season.
Inter will also credit their manager’s favoured 3-5-2 formation. The perfect mixture of pace and high tempo has resulted in the Nerazzuris 74 goals in 34 league outings, while a sturdy defence led by Milan Skriniar and Stefan De Vrij conceded just 29 goals thus far.
