From bad punchline to tough tackling-game-changing inside-forward, Dan Rattigan takes a look at the transformation of Erik Lamela.
Lamela: No longer a bad punchline
As the dust settles on our first home win against Man Utd since I was in short trousers (er well thinking back to 15 years ago, it’s probably more likely they were combat trousers), I was struck by the prominent role of our two Argentines in it.
Spurs have a rich history when propelled by two Argentines of course, pushing on to Wembley despite one suffering from the dreaded trembly knee syndrome. The approach now is of course quite different, not least as one of them is standing on the sideline rather than joining the other in threading passes in the middle of the park.
Today Spurs harry and disrupt other sides, then play one or two touch and break at pace. The Argentine on the sideline has embedded the side with an adamantium skeleton.
[linequote]That slow and painful start would have made it easier for everyone involved to cut their losses either at the start of Pochettino’s reign or even last summer[/linequote]
The purpose of this quite tenuous parallel is to note that his compatriot, Erik Lamela, is key to that approach. Despite that, he remains a divisive figure – there’s one regular in the Park Lane whose automatic approach to seeing the ball go anywhere near him is varying degrees of “oh bloody hell Lamela”.
His slow start aside, maybe his increasing ragged brilliance would be more appreciated had he joined for £10m less. Maybe the Youtube clips of his time at Roma were misleading, the pace of the English game leaving him less able to slalom through defences at will. Maybe it was the shirt he inherited or the fact he looks like he could seamlessly slot into a Romanian boyband.
That slow and painful start would have made it easier for everyone involved to cut their losses either at the start of Pochettino’s reign or even last summer. Injuries in his first season, an entirely pointless debut on the left-wing in a hammering by Man City, and Tim Sherwood showing off his mastery of Spanish to belittle one of his own players have set a tone where even moments of brilliance struggle to clear the air. A second touch that was too often a tackle increased the doubts.
It would have been easier to hide. But he hasn’t. Criticisms of Lamela are often couched in reference to his appearance, that he’s weak, but he’s shown a ridiculous amount of mental strength to stick around and fight for a place.
[linequote]Missing that chance before halftime may have buried a less assured player, but he continued to work, probe for openings with quick and brave passing[/linequote]
Against Man Utd, as he has been largely since September, he was key at both ends of the pitch. Showing the kind of commitment that Pochettino expects, and terraces respond to, he helped Kyle Walker double-up on Anthony Martial, with the French prodigy restricted to one self-fashioned chance. I lost count of the times he cleanly nicked the ball from an opposing player with a telescopic leg. Others didn’t.
Missing that chance before halftime may have buried a less assured player, but he continued to work, probe for openings with quick and brave passing and his quality shone through even after running himself into the ground with our third goal. Ten goals in all competitions this season is a decent return for a player of increasing importance.
The impact of Pochettino in this transformation can’t be overstated. As with Mousa Dembele, he has taken a precocious talent who was floundering in a flux of managerial changes and a void of a coherent tactical approach and produced a system which hinges on that talent. All the while having him work like a dog.
For too often, Lamela would have been the easiest sub in a close game. Now he can only safely be substituted with a game already won even in games where he’s picked up a yellow and his puppyish enthusiasm to win the ball shreds your nerves.
[linequote]Lamela has gone from a punchline, a byword for a failed transfer system, to an integral part of a team[/linequote]
With the manager placing a huge amount of effort on the attitude and atmosphere around the collective, Spurs move towards a summer period that actually proves quite challenging. Certainly more challenging that it might appear to writers of newspaper transfer gossip columns – how to improve the side without disturbing that ecosystem.
You might be tempted to suggest Lamela as a candidate for an upgrade, usurped by someone who has scored or provided more goals in a different team’s different system. But I’m not so sure – Lamela has gone from a punchline, a byword for a failed transfer system, to an integral part of a team that tends to win more times than it doesn’t. I wouldn’t bet against him to keep proving his doubters wrong.
All views and opinions expressed in this article are the views and opinions of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of The Fighting Cock. We offer a platform for fans to commit their views to text and voice their thoughts. Football is a passionate game and as long as the views stay within the parameters of what is acceptable, we encourage people to write, get involved and share their thoughts on the mighty Tottenham Hotspur.
7 Comments
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12/04/2016 @ 12:00 pm
Great article, Lamela has been slated too often. An integral part of this Spurs team, he has the right attitude and great work rate. I think we will see him score more goals next season.
12/04/2016 @ 12:38 pm
Spurs fans who continue to whine about Lamela ought to be ashamed of themselves. They are most likely “plastic fans” who don’t even understand the game, and actually watch very little football because they’re too busy stuffing their faces with pizza and placing bets. I say go and support somebody else or shut up – your embarrassing our great club, and making yourself look like idiots into the bargain.
12/04/2016 @ 12:43 pm
Lamela has been immense this season. I cant fault him, and if you think how many of our goals have him involved in and you’ll see he is almost as vital as Eriksen. Huge credit to Poch for getting him going and fair play to him for changing his game to suit our system. This team has the beginnings of something amazing !! COYS !!
20/07/2016 @ 3:48 pm
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12/04/2016 @ 1:45 pm
Lamela is in our first six to be picked I reckon, he is only going to get better. I cant wait to see him give to the other teams next season regularly.
14/04/2016 @ 8:00 pm
A few non-Spurs fans have asked me how Lamela gets in the side. I always answer that he plays the way the manager wants. Lamela is the epitome of the new Spurs, leading from the front with a great all-action style. I’m very pleased for him that it’s working out.