form player
Erik Lamela has admitted he cannot always train at full pelt and says he does not know how much of the club’s hectic autumn schedule he will be able to play.
On his first League start of the season, Lamela scored a glancing header in Spurs’s 1-0 win at West Ham on Saturday to make it five goals and three assists in eight appearances this term.
Mauricio Pochettino has said he needs to “carefully manage” the forward in a different way to other players after Lamela was sidelined for 13 months with chronic hip problems, finally returning in November last year.
Spurs — who have made their best start to a
Premier Leagueseason — have six matches in 18 days, starting with Wednesday’s Champions League clash at PSV Eindhoven and, asked if he would be able to play in all of them, Lamela said: “I don’t know. This is a question for the manager and the staff.
“They know how to manage me after a lot of time together. Sometimes I cannot go 80 per cent, even in training. I feel crazy sometimes but it’s like this.”
Lamela’s game is based on full-throttle intensity and he added: “I play football like this and now I’m taking more care [in training]. I try to manage myself and this is what I’m doing now, especially when we have a long week.
“I try to train hard but to arrive to the game in a good condition and take care of myself. Normally we train really hard but I want to play the games — it’s more important than training.
“This is what we’re doing now and the manager and the staff, they take care of me and all the team.
“My feeling now is good, my hips are feeling better. When you’re injured it’s hard, when you come back, too, because [you’re trying to] feel well like before. But now I’m happy with my feeling on the pitch and my place in the team. I feel very good with my team-mates.”
The Argentine started purs’s opening two Champions League group games — the defeats to Inter Milan and Barcelona — and is expected to keep his place for the trip to PSV. With Spurs trailing Inter and Barca by six points, Lamela admits it is a must-win game if they want to reach the Champions League knockouts for the second consecutive campaign.
“We know we have to win,” he said. “Unfortunately we started the Champions League by losing in Milan. After, we lost against Barcelona and we will not have too many more chances, so we have to win.”
Mousa Dembele, who could return to the XI having overcome a thigh problem, said of Lamela: “He’s on fire! It’s unbelievable. He is helping us a lot. Skills, goals, work-rate — everything we could ask from a top player like him.
“Everyone knows he has a strong meteorology. That’s why I think he has now improved a lot. You can see he’s so important for us. I’m happy he is showing the world what he is capable of.”
