Pochettino praises ´amazing´ Eriksen

Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino lauded the “outstanding” Christian Eriksen after his side’s Champions League draw against Juventus.

Eriksen scored a 71st-minute free-kick as Spurs came from behind to earn a 2-2 draw in Turin in the first leg of the last-16 tie on Tuesday.

The Denmark international produced another fine display for the Premier League outfit, much to the delight of Pochettino.

“I think Christian had an amazing game. He was outstanding. He was fantastic,” he said.

“Christian is doing, in my few years, always an important player for us. He always steps up and I think he’s this type of player who represents our philosophy.

“He’s a player who links the team and he was fantastic. The team was great, but he was fantastic.”

A fantastic fightback #COYS pic.twitter.com/t5PzAY5ggz

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) February 13, 2018

Spurs had fallen behind to an early Gonzalo Higuain brace and, after Harry Kane pulled a goal back, the Argentina international missed a penalty.

Pochettino praised his team for their response to falling 2-0 behind inside 10 minutes away from home.

“I think we have experience, but not the kind of experience of Juventus in playing in this competition,” he said.

“It’s true that we started the game not in a good way, but that showed that we are mature enough to compete in the Champions League.

“The team showed great character and the good thing is that this is our fourth season and always we are improving in different aspects.

“This aspect was the last and it is necessary to try to be competitive and in the end fight for big things.”