I liked Erik Lamela before it was cool

[the dza]

I like the fact that he puts effort in and runs a lot. But after that, I'm struggling for positives with his performances so far in the league. If he didn't cost so much money, I think he'd be dropped.

 

[Spaceman]

another dreadful performance form lamela. him and his mate soldado have been complete garbage this season

 

[braineclipse]

Okay i am just going to start out by saying i like lamela and think he is one of the more naturally gifted / talented players in our team. And a hard worker...he is just low on confidence and this is affecting his develpoment

i personally think you are downgrading everyone that has played effectively as part of a team and contributed significantly to their teams output in this league that have played on the flank. By saying that there are very few people that can do that and only the exceptional ones are capable of doing that i think is misleading and it sort of sets up a bit of a straw man effect that makes it seem that people shouldnt expect their flank men to be effective in our league. Our league is known, and we should take pride in this, for not giving anyone , foreign or local, space and time. yet quite a few get on with it and play well

i wouldnt disagree with your conclusion about sigurdsson, but i will add that he was poorly utilised by us, plus if you look at sigurdsson at swansea...he is still actually playing the same game that he played with us but just with more responsibility and focus. As a squad player it was silly to sell him, but as a first team impact player i think the choice was right....if we are to get to 'THAT' level and he is not happy being rotated in a squad capacity then its his career choice to move.

We'll just have to agree to disagree on this. I really didn't think what I said would be contentious. We've seen many players for us flourish with a bit of space and movement around them and struggle immensely when not given the rights service and movement. We've seen the same with so many players at so many teams. I barely even know what it is your point is to be honest. Are you saying that there are many players in the Premier League that do well without space and movement around them? In what way? Why aren't these players consistently scoring and getting assists then?

Swansea are using Sigurdsson better. By getting the ball to him in space and getting movement around him.

As for time and space being an all or nothing combination of ingredients......sure i agree. why wouldnt i? nothing singular in football operates on its own in a vacuum, but i tend to focus on the points the poster is making...time and space is what was trending so i stuck to that if you get my meaning.

I disagree with the picture i felt your post was painting , in that if denied time and space then you would likely look like lamela has looked for us. i dont agree with that...james milner has looked effective in EVERY SINGLE team he has played for in every position people have put him in. this boy has little speed and little tricks up his sleeve...he has played for the best teams and a couple of dire ones yet his intelligence, his decision making , his ball utilisation skill and his movement have all been clear to see if you are willing to look.

I can only say that if that was the picture my post painted it was not the picture I intended to paint. And I think I made that clear in my first response to you.

I mentioned Sig because I think there are similarities between why he didn't make it at Spurs and why Lamela is struggling.

James Milner is a very good player, not top notch, but very good. Rightly an important squad player for a top club, would probably (like Barry) be more outstanding at a club lower down the table like he was at Villa. He's still someone who needs space and time for me. Although his contribution off the ball often makes up for it compared to some players at least.

I can only put that down to your ignorance of bolasie and a couple of people that have been vocal about him for some time (i am not one of them by the way). This season though i have been much more aware of him and what he offers. I dont think he is an amazing player overall...but i think he is an impactful one and one that stands out..primarily for his on ball antics and the fact that he isnt afraid to try and take the game over. If i had to choose between a lamela TYPE or Bolasie TYPE...i would chose lamela's TYPE all the time.

And yet despite the knock down bolasie is given by you, as i felt you generically put a lot of wide players from your previous comment, he is more effective and commanding and more of a contributor in games for his team than lamela is for ours.

Crystal palace outplayed us. Simple. Bolasie outplayed lamela. Simple. Yet we have the players with better marketed pedigree than palace. You partially stripping Bolasie down just makes me, cant speak for others, respond with "lamela was worse in that game and less use than bolasie was"

yes
1) there is , cause there was ample time we closed him out and he released the ball and moved again to retrieve it in space to do what he likes to
2) Bolasie is an impact player, almost likes to operate in isolation and on an island. so movement from his team, creating space for bolasie to work with aside and an option to receive a pass, is less of a necessity for him to do his thing and shine.
3) he has done it against most of the teams he has played against, so it isnt a one off. people have taken notice of his consistency this year

maybe a bolasie watch today? dont know who they are playing but we can see how he fares with his less 'perceived' talented team and how lamela fares against said team when we next play them

Did you have a chance to watch Bolasie yesterday? I didn't unfortunately.

It might be that I'm wrong about him. I'm wrong quite often. I don't see Bolasie as someone who will be consistent and do well at a big team, but could be that he could/will.

He was better than Lamela in that game. We were second best overall, he was one of their best players and Lamela was one of our worst.

End of the day , i like lamela, i think he is talented and i think he has much more to offer..and i think he will. I just dont agree with the tactic of smearing or downsizing others and the situation to make it seem like he is doing more / better than okay and that he is acheiving his targets. Its a bloody low bar if what he is giving us now is what we should be expecting from him

Smearing? This is what I said:

"I would rather say very few attacking players make it England or elsewhere if not given space and movement around them.

There are exceptional players capable of producing magic on their own, but they're very few. And even those players are better with space and movement."

I honestly don't get how this paints the picture you're talking about.

I've been saying for pages and pages that what I want is for some patience and for Lamela to be given time. I've been critical of him. I've not said that he's achieving his targets! Please point me to what I've said that makes you claim that this is what I'm saying.

All I'm saying is that he's talented and should be given more than 15 league starts to develop that talent at Spurs. I think he deserves it given his obvious hard work and attitude, and I think it's the best option for the club.

 

[milo]

I like the fact that he puts effort in and runs a lot. But after that, I'm struggling for positives with his performances so far in the league. If he didn't cost so much money, I think he'd be dropped.

I think that he is being given more chances because of his potential not his price tag.

 

[braineclipse]

I think that he is being given more chances because of his potential not his price tag.

Agreed.

Edit: Poch had no issues dropping Soldado (our second most expensive signing) or Paulinho (third) or Dembele (fourth-ish of our current lot).

I see no reason to think Lamela is the exception to this.

 

[Modric THFC]

I like the fact that he puts effort in and runs a lot. But after that, I'm struggling for positives with his performances so far in the league. If he didn't cost so much money, I think he'd be dropped.

If he cost a few million off Leeds and all he every did was a bit of defensive work and regressed over 10 years he'd be the new saviour of Tottenham.
Who cares about the fee (26m) we'll get 20m in the summer if we want to sell easily.

 

[Maltese Falcon]

I think that he is being given more chances because of his potential not his price tag.

Can someone PLEASE tell us what is this "potential" that all his excuse makers harp on about???!!! ](*,)

A player with potential was Bale in his first season - where he would produce two or three flashes of outstanding quality in a match but clearly struggle with the physicality. It was Lennon in his first half season where he would make blinding runs but fail to do so consistently over the 90 minutes.

Lamela is not struggling with the physicality of the game; just ask the players at the receiving end of his elbow and two footed challenges today. Other than the rabona, he has produced nothing of note; not even a single league goal and he has played half a season. Not one single decent dribble has come off in this time and, other than against the accommodating QPR, I cannot recall him doing anything that made me stand up and take notice.

 

[africanspurs]

dont lose faith in this kid

he has some traits thats hard to find in local talent

One goal, just one goal and a solid performance...that's all it is going to take i know it.

i can just see him in the right kind of team being a stats sheet stuffer. like chadli currently is for us

 

[Maltese Falcon]

dont lose faith in this kid

he has some traits thats hard to find in local talent

One goal, just one goal and a solid performance...that's all it is going to take i know it.

i can just see him in the right kind of team being a stats sheet stuffer. like chadli currently is for us

AS: I really respect your opinions but, mate, on this count I find it very very hard to accept your point of view. And believe me nothing would give me more pleasure than to see Lamela tear teams to shreds

For curiosity sake: what exceptional traits are you referring to, cause I sure as hell have missed them...

 

[Rossi22]

If he cost a few million off Leeds and all he every did was a bit of defensive work and regressed over 10 years he'd be the new saviour of Tottenham.
Who cares about the fee (26m) we'll get 20m in the summer if we want to sell easily.

From who? No one's paying £20m mate, get real.

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

If he cost a few million off Leeds and all he every did was a bit of defensive work and regressed over 10 years he'd be the new saviour of Tottenham.
Who cares about the fee (26m) we'll get 20m in the summer if we want to sell easily.

I hope we get that fee for him but people said similar about Bentley and Gomes and both went for free in the end.

 

[SpurMeUp]

Not working out for him. But he's become the latest pinpoint for any Spurs frustration. I think he can play well with the right setup and confidence. He can dribble with the ball, can place the ball when shooting, has tricks and plenty of technique. He needs to give and go more, play more one-twos to open up space. And he needs to feel at home and relaxed.

If we have a more skilful alternative I'm sure Poch would be picking them. Lennon is not the answer imo.

 

[africanspurs]

AS: I really respect your opinions but, mate, on this count I find it very very hard to accept your point of view. And believe me nothing would give me more pleasure than to see Lamela tear teams to shreds

For curiosity sake: what exceptional traits are you referring to, cause I sure as hell have missed them...

well tbh i dont see him tearing teams to shreds but i do see him as part of complex team moves that do tear teams to shreds.

i was watching him today..at least the first half anyway....and he actually plays a very complicated game of football. his passes appear to be like part of some kind of continental football chess game where its about keeping possession and probing...seeing how the players fall out on the pitch..passing...keeping possesion....etc.

The thing i dont get is...where is the determined movement with conviction after the pass?.....that 'i have to get into this open spot if it kills me cause if i can receive the ball here i'll do some damage' type mentality. he isnt afraid to receive the ball , but his urgency to get to some very dangerous positions doesnt seem to be there... i think once a goal gets in from him, i think everything will pick up..his mentality, his urgency, his energy ...everything will rise

the traits i am talking about arent 'exceptional' per say......but they are rare in england. Its just the traits you find in continental players...guys who dont mind operating in tight spaces...who look around before to see what's available before they receive the ball.....can play with other team mates in tight units...spatial awareness (for the life of me i dont know why he isnt more aggressive with this. You can see that he understands the meaning of space and where it is, but dude...you need to move there as if its your birthright.....like daisy johnson...just get in there and see what happens. Why is it that eriksen ends up in those spots and not lamela?????)

you know what i mean? the technical type typical continental player qualities. lamela has those......i just wish he incorporates them into this type of league . and i think he will...he just needs that one goal AND solid performance in the league

 

[Modric THFC]

I hope we get that fee for him but people said similar about Bentley and Gomes and both went for free in the end.

Inter, Juventus and Roma are all after him. He did score 15 Seria A goals in 2012/13. Levy will be after a big fee.

 

[africanspurs]

Actually ..i want to press on something

lamela and eriksen play in the same position right?

why does eriksen drift into goal scoring positions and lamela doesnt? anyone have any ideas....its something i can put my finger on aside from mental fear / confidence issues...but it seems like lamela is hell bent on getting the ball in tough situations anyway..so clearly he doesnt mind tight / tough situations...why not just move to areas that eriksen does?

 

[AdamB]

I think that he is being given more chances because of his potential not his price tag.

Agreed. And some players take time - look at when Rolando he went to Utd. He was a show pony for a year or two, falling over far too often and not producing much. And then once we'd got used to the league his performances got better and better. There's no guarantee obviously that Lamela will improve similarly but if you believe he has the potential then we're doing the right thing

 

[Danishfurniturelover]

dont lose faith in this kid

he has some traits thats hard to find in local talent

One goal, just one goal and a solid performance...that's all it is going to take i know it.

i can just see him in the right kind of team being a stats sheet stuffer. like chadli currently is for us

The thing is it is similar with Soldado where he has had a good game and scored and we thought he would go on a run and it has not happened.

I am all for signing foreign players, on my wishlist for transfers are that Mastic defender at Emirates Marketing Project, Mitrovic the Serbian striker playing in Belgium and Jody Clasie the dutch play maker. We just have to find ones that are suited to the English game and I really do not see it in Lamela. Would love to be wrong because his signing was the one I was most excited about last year.

 

[Modric THFC]

Actually ..i want to press on something

lamela and eriksen play in the same position right?

why does eriksen drift into goal scoring positions and lamela doesnt? anyone have any ideas....its something i can put my finger on aside from mental fear / confidence issues...but it seems like lamela is hell bent on getting the ball in tough situations anyway..so clearly he doesnt mind tight / tough situations...why not just move to areas that eriksen does?

This is whats wrong imo. He doesnt get in the box enough (same problem with Townsend who always shots from outside). If you look at Lamela at Roma he's always in the centre finishing off a move.
Is it something to do with seeing with what they saw Bale do here, letting fly into the top corner from way out.

 

[Bonsaiboy]

Actually ..i want to press on something

lamela and eriksen play in the same position right?

why does eriksen drift into goal scoring positions and lamela doesnt? anyone have any ideas....its something i can put my finger on aside from mental fear / confidence issues...but it seems like lamela is hell bent on getting the ball in tough situations anyway..so clearly he doesnt mind tight / tough situations...why not just move to areas that eriksen does?

This is because Eriksen has a higher level of football intelligence and he knows how to find space and get in the right positions. Footballingly, Lamela is somewhat of a depart.

 

[Robbo]

So frustrating to watch him today. Poor game, apart from his work rate. Could've so easily have been sent off. I want to believe, and I'm really one for giving players time, but I'm now starting to doubt whether he's a good match for Spurs and the PL. I hope it will click for him soon, or I can see him gone back to the continent this summer.