The Role of Erik Lamela

When Tottenham Hotspur shell out over eight figures worth of pounds sterling on one player, you feel compelled to scratch your eyes and scout the skies above for flying pigs.

It’s a rare occurrence, and as history has taught us, it’s not always a good one (despite the pleas from every single Spurs fan begging Levy to spend money every summer). Of the nine players that have cost Spurs in excess of £15 million, you could only say that two of them have proven to be successes at the club (Luka Modric and Jermain Defoe). The likes of David Bentley, Darren Bent, Paulinho and Roberto Soldado have moved on to pastures new after failing to make the grade at White Hart Lane.

We are then left with three of those players who remain at Tottenham. South Korean international Heung-Min Son who arrived in the last week of the recently closed transfer window, Belgium star Mousa Dembele who is entering his fourth year in North London, and record signing Erik Lamela.

The jury is still out on how Son and Dembele will be perceived once they’ve moved on, but for the majority of the Spurs fan base, Lamela’s fate has been decided – he was a one-hit wonder who just wasn’t suited to English football.

‘Non-existent’ is pretty much the only phrase capable of describing Lamela’s debut season in the Premier League. Hailed as a modern-day inside forward with a hefty price tag to boot, the Argentine was never a favourite of then-manager Andre Vilas-Boas, starting just twice in the league under his guidance. Just two games into the Tim Sherwood era that same season, Lamela suffered a season-ending injury, dropping into the depths of minds up and down the country.

By the time fellow countryman Mauricio Pochettino was unveiled as the new manager of Tottenham Hotspur, Lamela was fit, hungry, and determined to shake off the shackles engraved “FLOP” by the English media.

His first pre-season at the club proved promising, shining on Tottenham’s tour of the United States. Fans flocked to the megastore asking for “Lamela 11” to be on the backs of their shirts, and Spurs fans far and wide geared up for their record signing’s first real season.

Oh, the joys of hindsight.

Whilst standout performances against Queens Park Rangers and Asteras Tripolis brought White Hart Lane to it’s feet, Lamela’s 2014/15 season was anti-climactic.

For the first two-thirds of the season, defenders were quick to suss out Lamela’s next move (which usually consisted of cutting inside onto his favoured left foot). Not playing regular football for a year took its toll, as Tottenham’s number 11 looked a shadow of the man they signed from Roma.

The biggest problem with this though was that this was the same man that signed from Roma. Old clips and highlights packages will show the same running and dribbling technique, the same movement, the same curve he would apply to every ball he hit. Unfortunately, Lamela hadn’t figured out how to balance them all out.

Every pass was either too under or over hit, every dribble was either one man too far or one man too few, and this tested the patience of the Spurs faithful.

Any Tottenham fan will tell you that the fuse of the fan base is very short and that there’s little room for error – Lamela fell victim to their predatory nature. Every touch was groaned upon, every mistake was exaggerated, every loss of the ball was lambasted on social media.

With two months of the season remaining, Lamela realised his Spurs career was hanging by a thread – if he didn’t show signs of improvement, he could very well be binned in the summer. The pressure was on, but he certainly thrived under it.

When in danger, animals adapt to survive. Noticing the impending threat, Lamela binned his old style of play for one that would quickly benefit both himself and the team. His pressing became controlled, his thinking became quicker, he began to use his incisive through balls efficiently – he knew his limits.

Lamela receives the ball in a position where he would usually dawdle on it

However, he quickly releases it between the two Hull players, finding Eriksen and allowing the tempo of the game to begin to flow

Again, Lamela is found in a position hard to escape, and one where he’d try and dribble out of/into trouble

Lamela again plays the first-time pass through the Hull players to find Kane

Lamela runs on and Tottenham have the momentum to build an attack

Lamela breaks into a dribble rather than waiting on the ball

Lamela keeps his head up and keeps moving forward, spotting the run of Kane

The ball is inch perfect, and Tottenham continue their attack - just five seconds has elapsed since Lamela first picked up the ball in his own half

Lamela indicates he wants to receive the ball on the right wing

Dier tries to play the ball to Lamela’s feet instead, but the Argentine plays a successful first-time pass to keep the up the pace of the move

Ball falls for Lamela at an awkward height, and would usually be outmuscled with ease, losing possession

However, Lamela shows great balance and control, neatly flicking the ball between the two Hull players

 Lamela assists Kane in winning an aerial duel, and carries the ball forward once it's on the floor

Just over half way inside the opposition half, Lamela spots space opening up, and slips in a ball to Chadli

The ball is perfectly waited, and Chadli is able to finish the chance created

Usually, when roaming inwards, Lamela would take up a position on the edge of the box, not really providing a threat - here, he moves into the box, adding another aerial threat

By getting into an attacking position, Lamela creates his own luck and scores

This is reminiscent of his days at Roma, where he would be amongst the thick of the action in the box, creating chances and scoring goals

On some occasions, Lamela moves infield to create these passing triangles to work the ball into a dangerous position - he understands how to build an attack in various ways

He can be seen making these same passes/movements against Manchester City

Lamela picks up the ball and is quickly swarmed by four opposing players

Instead of running straight into trouble, he quickly plays a through ball to Harry Kane, who is now one on one with the goalkeeper

It isn’t ludicrous to suggest that Lamela was our best player for the last eight or ten games, but this fact was quickly forgotten after a thirty-minute cameo against Stoke City. Fans completely ignored his lack of pre-season (which consisted of a month long extended break following the Copa America, and only two games separated by 24 hours).

A movement was started on Twitter demanding him to be sold, and anyone who spoke positively of Lamela was quickly attacked and told to kill themselves.

What a wonderful world.

A deadline-day loan move to Marseille reportedly fell through, and so, Lamela remains a Spurs player. Fighting with Nacer Chadli, Heung-Min Son, Andros Townsend, Clinton N’Jie and Alex Pritchard for a place in the side, just how can Lamela be used effectively?

RESTORE CONFIDENCE

A factor that may have contributed to Lamela’s lack of form last season was his confidence. Very rarely did we see the Argentine happy and free-flowing, and he needs a playground to build up his enthusiasm again. A good start would be in the cup and Europa League games; the lesser importance of these fixtures could allow Lamela to re-discover his passion for football.

GET THE BASICS RIGHT

If Lamela can find an equilibrium in his passing and dribbling, then the rest of his game is bound to follow suit. His game will become less frustrating and will benefit the team greatly knowing they have another dependable player on the pitch.

CONTINUE WITH NEWER HABITS

Lamela’s role towards the back end of the 2014/15 season was essentially a stationary pivot who played on the right wing. With this though, the team were able to utilise Lamela’s through balls to good effect, proving to be one of the most efficient outlets in the team. Quickly releasing the ball rather than characteristically dawdling on it paid dividends too, and if he can blend this role into the one he was used to at Roma, then who knows, maybe, just maybe that £30 million won’t prove to be a waste.

ADD VARIETY

As mentioned previously, Lamela was regularly pocketed and nullified because of his persistence to cut inside onto his left foot. There were rare occasions, however, where he showed a bit of love to his largely neglected right foot. Whenever Lamela decided to go outside his man rather than cut in, he would have the defender right in the palm of his hand. It complimented his eccentric dribbling style and provided a different option, and if he can start getting into this habit again, he’ll prove to be an asset to the team.

THE FANS' ROLE

The last role goes to the fans. Footballers are only human. They have feelings, emotions, moods, and even ears. There’s no doubt Lamela can hear the crowd groan whenever he takes possession of the ball, and it’s most likely that he finds it demoralising and distracting. Getting on his back won’t make him a better player, and the toxic atmosphere at White Hart Lane needs to leave if he is to thrive.

Somewhere in that 6 foot mohawk-ed man is a talented footballer – whether or not he shows it at Tottenham is a whole different story, and one that hasn’t finished just yet.