Will Erik Lamela prove himself? With only seven goals in his career so far, it doesn’t look great for the Argentine, who may well face the axe this summer. But, this could be the season for the so-called ‘flop’ to shine.
Any Spurs fan will agree on how frustrating it is to watch Lamela at times. His almost schoolboy-like loss of possession occurs just all too often. He holds onto the ball for too long, or maybe he doesn’t give that pass at the vital time. There seems to be an overwhelming number of negatives about a young player who promised so much. But, at 23, he really isn’t that young lad anymore. Lamela needs to prove himself.
Could the last match against Qarabag FK signal the start of a 30-goal season for Lamela? Of course not. Instead, the game really did sum Lamela up. His game was far from perfect, often losing the ball to disgruntled cries from the Spurs faithful. But that did not discourage Lamela, who kept working hard throughout the night to make up for these mistakes.
Perhaps he overworks himself, which is why he appears so slow on the ball because he is overcomplicating things. After hitting the post in the second half, it looked like everything was stacked against him. However, this wasn’t the case when four minutes from time, Lamela delicately chipped the keeper. Finally, some reward for all the hard graft. The performance was very typical of Lamela, who not only creates a lot by setting up his team-mates but has his own goalscoring presence too. Admittedly, for such a skilled player in the art of dribbling, Lamela should be troubling defences more than he is currently.
Pochettino has publicly backed Lamela like any manager should with any of their players who are struggling for form. However, the manager is right to keep the faith, as Lamela will be at least very useful in the many games Spurs could potentially have to face. A string of games and a string of good performances could do him the world of good. There will always be chances for Lamela, whether it is the Europa League, Capital One Cup or FA Cup, which he simply must make the most of. What about the Premier League? He could well feature there too, but he needs to bring his A-game to compete with the likes of new wingers Clinton N’Jie and Heung-Min Son (although the latter has shown that he is comfortable up top), not to mention Andros Townsend and Nacer Chadli, for example.
Every Spurs fan wants to see Lamela at his best. There’s a palpable tension that pervades White Hart Lane when Lamela gives the ball away, but there is also joyous celebration when he scores. It’s a case of the underdog, but this underdog is a racing hound who really should be finishing first every time. There does seem to be a growing negativity that chases Lamela everywhere he goes, a negativity that can only be responded to with good performances. If not, it may well be the end for such a promising young star.
