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I liked Erik Lamela before it was cool

Re: Erik Lamela - Official

skyfarer said:
That's what I mean by Ronaldo - he's still amazingly agile and quick-footed, he's just also strong enough to run with the ball without getting brushed off.

Though Ronaldo is probably blessed with rare physical gifts, I think plenty of slight physiques are doing well here - I mean, I don't think Mata, Oscar, Coutinho etc are the strongest kids on the block even in the shortarse-with-treetrunks-for-legs sense that Argentina seems to produce all the time, it's more about thinking quickly and moving the ball so quickly the challenges don't have time to get in, or at least drawing fouls.

I do think strikers and dribblers are more dependent on acceleration and being able to fend off challenges than playmakers/passers, who are more reliant on their brains and nimble feet. However, Lamela doesn't appear to be a head-down, run-fast dribbler at all - he's been a more than willing passer and very aware both on and off the ball (just look at that soft scooped ball through Villa's CBs he delicately lifted first-time that laid on a *perfect* volley opportunity for either Kane or Defoe in the first few minutes of the game ... Eriksen-esque ;) ). His goals at Roma have come more from clever runs than solo goals after dribbling through five defenders.

I think in the Villa game, it was more that he was getting tired in that second half so he started dwelling on the ball a little, and I don't think that's surprising given how poor a preseason Roma fans said he had and his relative lack of defensive duties at Roma; the amount of pressing he has to do now under AVB is probably pretty novel and a shock to his system (hell, our own players took half a season to figure it out ... we didn't stop shipping late goals until the turn of the year :lol:).
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I agree with you. Lamela is plenty strong enough. He's by no means a weak player and I think he's considerably stronger physically than players like Coutinho, Silva and Mata for example.

Plenty of examples of him using his strength and balance already in a Spurs shirt and in the highlights videos from his time at Roma.

Spurs7891 said:
AVB mentioned that Lamela will struggle to adapt in England because he doesn't speak any English. If so, then we should be helping Lamela learn English like how Real are helping Bale learn Spanish. After spending 30m on Lamela, surely we should be doing everything to make him successful at Spurs.

Traditionally, we are very poor when it comes to nurturing young non-British talents. In fact, can't remember any non-British players age 21 and below ever going on to become established players at Spurs. Still disappointed Dos Santos became another failure at Spurs. Maybe we didn't know how to nurture them on and off-the field before. But can see some positive changes since AVB took over with players like Holtby beginning to do well. Hope AVB will be able to nurture Lamela into a world class player like Bale.
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Sandro was 21 when he signed? Modric was 23? Both signed at a similar age to Lamela, if anything Lamela is further along in his development than those two.

I don't think of Lamela as a talent that needs nurturing, more as an already established Argentinian international that needs some help adapting.
 
Re: Erik Lamela - Official

Dunno what it is about this guy (maybe the money paid) but I think he's going to be superb. I don't think he looks that graceful running around but when he's connected to the ball you can see he's got it spellbound.
 
Re: Erik Lamela - Official

Spurs7891 said:
AVB mentioned that Lamela will struggle to adapt in England because he doesn't speak any English. If so, then we should be helping Lamela learn English like how Real are helping Bale learn Spanish. After spending 30m on Lamela, surely we should be doing everything to make him successful at Spurs.

Traditionally, we are very poor when it comes to nurturing young non-British talents. In fact, can't remember any non-British players age 21 and below ever going on to become established players at Spurs. Still disappointed Dos Santos became another failure at Spurs. Maybe we didn't know how to nurture them on and off-the field before. But can see some positive changes since AVB took over with players like Holtby beginning to do well. Hope AVB will be able to nurture Lamela into a world class player like Bale.
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I'm sure we are.

Also, having AVB and Soldado as Spanish speakers will help a lot too. He'll also be able to commuicate with our three Brazilians and Portugese coaches. So it won't exactly be like Ossie and Ricky arriving in an full-on English culture in the late 70s (not that that worked out badly)
 
Re: Erik Lamela - Official

Tottenham's Erik Lamela left confused by driving on the 'wrong' side of the road

Life in London is strange but beautiful says Argentina winger in his first big interview since club-record £30million move from Roma

Erik Lamela still isn’t sure about driving on the ‘wrong’ side of the road but is certain Tottenham can win the Europa League this season, writes Tom Hopkinson in the Sunday People.

The Spurs new boy admits motoring on the left is taking some getting used to after pitching up in north London from Argentina via Italy.

But his prowess behind the wheel aside, the former River Plate and Roma star is settling in well, just as his compatriots Sergio Aguero and Pablo Zabaleta told him he would.

The White Hart Lane club’s record £30million buy said: “Cars on the opposite side of the street seems strange to me but I am still in a phase where London is new and I am taking it day by day.

“London is a beautiful city with many places of interest, but I am a player and it is not easy to fit in too much tourism.

“I spoke with Aguero and Zabaleta, and they always supported me to make the jump to English football, and now it is down to me to demonstrate that it wasn’t an error.

“I am still adapting to London life, but England was always a country that *interested me. That is on a personal level and at Spurs I am working to be one of first the names in the starting XI. That is my big objective.”

Lamela and his new pals beat Tromso 3-0 in their opening Europa League Group K fixture but now face a difficult trip to Moscow to face Anzhi Makhachkala on Thursday.

The Europa League may be a competition that some clubs shun but, like his manager Andre Villas-Boas, Lamela is desperate to win it.

He added: “Tottenham are a big *European club so it is normal that we are one of the main candidates for the Europa League *title.

“The trips to Russia can be complicated but we are professional players and the minimum requirement is to give your best performance in any game.

“The squad is big and we are able to fight in both the Europa League and Premier League.

“The Europa League is the second-most important trophy for clubs in Europe and many players want to win it in their careers.

“Nobody in Spurs would snub this trophy and our minimum challenge is to reach the final.”

Hugo Lloris is set to keep his place in goal as Andre Villas-Boas opts against rotating his side in Europe.

AVB explained: “This season, we started with Hugo in the league and Europa League. We might rotate later.”

--------------------------------------------

I think Lamela will need more time to show his quality. He is stil trying to adapt to English football, on and off the field.
 
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Re: Erik Lamela - Official

I'll actually be amazed if he shows even half of what he can do this season. I think next season will be his year, he's just going to take a while to adapt.
 
Re: Erik Lamela - Official

skyfarer said:
I'll actually be amazed if he shows even half of what he can do this season. I think next season will be his year, he's just going to take a while to adapt.
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Have to agree. It is a bit disappointing really. When you spend 30m on a player to replace Bale, you expect instant impact from him. The problem is he is in the "young" player category instead of the "established" player category like Eriksen. He is more like a long term investment from us rather than for this season. Would have preferred us to buy a more established player like Javier Pastore of PSG.
 
Re: Erik Lamela - Official

I think Lamela will end up fitting our long-term vision more than Pastore will in the PL. I don't think he's less proven than Pastore either - at 20yo last season Lamela outscored and matched in assists 21yo Pastore's last season at Palermo prior to his PSG transfer, and Pastore hasn't followed up on his promise in a pretty weak French league. Granted, they do play different roles, but it's not like Lamela is only a goalscorer.

I also think the market has changed from the days we could buy a youngster like Bale for 7 million. I'll point out that 26-30m is the asking price for 'potential' these days - look at Herrera for 32m in asking price, 34m for Illaramendi, 26m for Isco, the prices being thrown around for Shaw and Barkley already in this league, forget about the likes of Draxler in the Bundesliga ...

When Man United paid 26m for a 16-year-old Rooney well before the transfer market even got this insane, it was an incredible gamble but sometimes you have to take those, because one Rooney is worth so much more both on and off the pitch than the equivalent on a bunch of 'proven' squad fillers (let's put it this way - one Lamela = Pav + Keane mk II, or Bentley + Crouch, or Pav + Bassong + Naughton). We are not a club that can attract the proven, established superstars - we can only go for potential, and you have to pay a damn good price for that these days. (Most of the time - less heralded youngsters like Pozuelo are still out there, and GHod knows we need to poach Swansea's scouts fast!)
 
Re: Erik Lamela - Official

Of the players that failed at Spurs, Postiga is the one that troubles me most. He's still had a fine career but he could have been one of the best forwards in Europe with the right development and coaching IMO.
 
Re: Erik Lamela - Official

skyfarer said:
I think Lamela will end up fitting our long-term vision more than Pastore will in the PL. I don't think he's less proven than Pastore either - at 20yo last season Lamela outscored and matched in assists 21yo Pastore's last season at Palermo prior to his PSG transfer, and Pastore hasn't followed up on his promise in a pretty weak French league. Granted, they do play different roles, but it's not like Lamela is only a goalscorer.

I also think the market has changed from the days we could buy a youngster like Bale for 7 million. I'll point out that 26-30m is the asking price for 'potential' these days - look at Herrera for 32m in asking price, 34m for Illaramendi, 26m for Isco, the prices being thrown around for Shaw and Barkley already in this league, forget about the likes of Draxler in the Bundesliga ...

When Man United paid 26m for a 16-year-old Rooney well before the transfer market even got this insane, it was an incredible gamble but sometimes you have to take those, because one Rooney is worth so much more both on and off the pitch than the equivalent on a bunch of 'proven' squad fillers (let's put it this way - one Lamela = Pav + Keane mk II, or Bentley + Crouch, or Pav + Bassong + Naughton). We are not a club that can attract the proven, established superstars - we can only go for potential, and you have to pay a damn good price for that these days. (Most of the time - less heralded youngsters like Pozuelo are still out there, and GHod knows we need to poach Swansea's scouts fast!)
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great post overall

about the Swansea scouts, i supposed you are mostly impressed by 2mill pound Michu, I mean arent we all!! stunning piece of transfer business

funny thing is that Gerry Armstrong was a massive fan and recommended him to Spurs. They passed up on him. Twice it seems. 8-[ Some you win, some you lose:)
.....

If Roberto Mancini is having sleepless nights over missing out on Robin van Persie, then one can only imagine the mood at Tottenham's training ground every time Michu scores for Swansea.

There, at Hotspur Way, something of a dark comedy routine has been going on this season between Pat Jennings and Tim Sherwood, an exchange that usually ends with one telling the other: 'Don't mention Michu'. He's the one that got away. Twice.

And once he was going for free. But Tottenham are not alone. Sportsmail understands that Fulham, Stoke, West Brom, West Ham and Aston Villa were also told by an independent agent in Spain about the 26-year-old in the summer and encouraged to bid for a man who had just scored 15 goals in La Liga.

The fact that those goals came for Rayo Vallecano, a struggling team that frequently couldn't afford to pay their players, wasn't enough to coax an offer.

The fact that most of the goals had come from midfield, and his release clause was a relative snip at £3.2million, was seemingly also ignored.

In Tottenham's case, the shame is a little deeper. Spurs were first notified about Michu in the summer of 2011, when his contract at Celta Vigo, who were then in the Spanish second tier, expired. It meant that he was available on a free transfer.

At the time, Michu was largely playing a deeper, more defensive role and Tottenham snubbed the recommendat ion of Gerry Armstrong, a former Spurs player-turned-Spanish football expert, to make a bid.

'Even then, it was obvious this guy was a different class,' Armstrong said. 'He played a bit further back, but he was so comfortable on the ball.

He had brilliant vision, could win headers, could pass, could shoot. There didn't seem to be anything missing.' It wasn't just a Premier League thing. Leeds, along with the six top-flight clubs, were contacted by a Spanish agent in the summer and, like the rest, did not act on the recommendation. Swansea stumped up £2.2m.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...lham-Leeds-Swansea-swooped.html#ixzz2gSNLEcN8
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
 
Re: Erik Lamela - Official

skyfarer said:
I'll actually be amazed if he shows even half of what he can do this season. I think next season will be his year, he's just going to take a while to adapt.
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He's a young player, new to the league and likely to improve significantly over the next couple of years for sure.

I still have high hopes for him this season though, he's already showed some of his ability already and we have a long season ahead of us.
 
Re: Erik Lamela - Official

I like how AVB is handling Lamela's introduction to the team - much like he handled Lloris. The difference of course is that Lloris was already an established , experienced player, and a wonderful goalie i'm sure we all agree.

A big transfer fee always has the potential to weight heavy - particularly on one so young, but I also think it has helped that he was not the only one coming into the team, but one of several new players that were brought in following Bales sale. Some have settled pretty well, Paulinho for example, while others are still finding their feet (Soldado will score loads once the team work out how to use him). If AVB keeps giving him the opportunity in the Europa League and in the cup games I think he will come good for us in the second half of the season.

Just look at Lewis H - it's taken him a while to find his feet (and it helps playing him in his right position) but quality will always come through and Lamela has the potential to be a very good player for us, in what looks to be a very good squad of players which means the future for Spurs looks bright.

Out of interest what is Lamela's best position do we think?
 
Re: Erik Lamela - Official

superfaisty said:
I like how AVB is handling Lamela's introduction to the team - much like he handled Lloris. The difference of course is that Lloris was already an established , experienced player, and a wonderful goalie i'm sure we all agree.

A big transfer fee always has the potential to weight heavy - particularly on one so young, but I also think it has helped that he was not the only one coming into the team, but one of several new players that were brought in following Bales sale. Some have settled pretty well, Paulinho for example, while others are still finding their feet (Soldado will score loads once the team work out how to use him). If AVB keeps giving him the opportunity in the Europa League and in the cup games I think he will come good for us in the second half of the season.

Just look at Lewis H - it's taken him a while to find his feet (and it helps playing him in his right position) but quality will always come through and Lamela has the potential to be a very good player for us, in what looks to be a very good squad of players which means the future for Spurs looks bright.

Out of interest what is Lamela's best position do we think?
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I agree with you.

For me his best positions seems to be either in the hole or on the right in an attacking positions where he can cut inside onto his left foot. He's definitely a "final third" player for me, and I don't think his abilities are best utilized on the left. He probably could do a job as a striker, but with his skills and creativity getting him on the ball more than a striker does seems like a good idea.

It's interesting how AVB is integrating some players more slowly whilst others are trusted very early on. Will probably never happen, but would be interesting if he went public with some of his reasoning behind those decisions.
 
Re: Erik Lamela - Official

Am I the only person who thinks "Erik the Llama" whenever I see his name?
 
Re: Erik Lamela - Official

Naughton16 said:
Of the players that failed at Spurs, Postiga is the one that troubles me most. He's still had a fine career but he could have been one of the best forwards in Europe with the right development and coaching IMO.
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He was just so unfortunate that he came into a team that lost its manager within 6 games, had an interim appointment for the rest of the season and his supply line was generally an injury prone Darren Anderton and a knackered Gus Poyet, who while still influential in games during 03/04, actually wanted to retire at the end of his original contract in June 2003. Levy persuaded him to stay on as the squad was very thin but he was absolutely shot.

His run without a goal when he started didn't help either and just heaped untold pressure on the boy after his big move. I was delighted when he scored against England to equalise in Euro 2004 and then score that penalty that took liberties after all the stick and abuse he got over here, mainly from the press.
 
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