Watching him now, he told me, Eriksen looks like a different player. But if you look more closely, he added, he hasn't suddenly turned into a great athlete. He's simply smarter about the way he moves.

I thought about this while watching Tottenham's 3-0 win over Swansea. The way Eriksen covers ground and operates in Mauricio Pochettino's system is picture-perfect. There simply is no wasted energy, and he squeezes every last drop that he can out of his body. He has also quite clearly grown in terms of personality and mental toughness, although his tactical intelligence is what sets him apart. And that's a credit to Pochettino's staff.