Tottenham Hotspur: More key passes and successful dribbles than the rest – stats reveal Lamela is becoming key
Football statistics analysts WhoScored.com give their verdict on the changing fortunes of Erik Lamela at White Hart Lane.
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When Tottenham secured the services of Erik Lamela back in 2013, a buzz of excitement emanated around White Hart Lane. The Argentine signed for a club-record £30m from
Roma as the
Gareth Bale transfer saga waged on, with Lamela the player tasked with filling the Welshman’s boots at White Hart Lane. Now-former technical director Franco Baldini utilised his exhaustive contact list to bring the 23-year-old to London, with it somewhat poetic that the Italian was relieved of his duties at Spurs in the wake of one of the attacker’s finest performances for the club.
Lamela was awarded the WhoScored.com man of the match award in Spurs’ 4-1 thumping of Emirates Marketing Project with a rating of 8.76. The former Roma star provided the assist for Toby Alderweireld’s second half header, before turning goalscorer late on to bag only his third league goal since signing for the club. It marks what has certainly been a huge upturn in form of late for Lamela, who was strongly linked with a move away from Spurs during the transfer window. A host of Italian teams were prepared to take a chance on the youngster over the summer, but the North London side opted to retain his services.
Reserving a seat in the last chance saloon, Lamela's recent form suggests he is ready and willing to bat away his critics in a bid to make a name of himself at White Hart Lane. Of course, the summer arrivals have certainly aided his improvement in form. One of the problems with the Spurs attack had been the lack of pace in the final third. As technically gifted as Lamela,
Christian Eriksen and Nacer Chadli are, the trio are not the quickest attackers in the game, despite the former possessing decent pace. Andros Townsend offers speed up front, but his wastefulness often hinders Spurs.
The captures of Clinton N’Jie and Heung-min Son suggested Mauricio Pochettino had identified the problem and subsequently rectified the issue, with chairman Daniel Levy spending around £30m to secure the services of the duo. The former may have been restricted to a handful of sub appearances, but the latter has certainly made an immediate impact. Indeed, Son has instantly become a fan favourite on Seven Sisters Road, such has been the quality of his performances in a white shirt. The winning goal in the recent 1-0 win over
Crystal Palace certainly helped.
Spurs suddenly look rejuvenated after a lacklustre start to the season, evident in the 4-1 win over City this past weekend. One of those reaping the benefits is, without question, Lamela.
The Argentina international has a better WhoScored.com rating (7.72) than every Spurs player in the league this season, when only taking starts into consideration. Impressive outings against FK Karabakh, Palace and City have coincided with Son’s blistering start to life at Spurs.
Given the South Korean’s attacking capability, he drags opposition markers out of position, thus freeing up space in the final third. As such, Lamela – a commendable performer with the ball at his feet – can find pockets to utilise his creative qualities.
No Spurs player has played more key passes than Lamela (16) in the Premier League this season. Of the three games both he and Son have started together – the aforementioned wins over Karabakh, Palace and City – the attacker has played more key passes (7) than any other Spurs player.
Son’s close control and speed means he has completed more successful dribbles (8) than any other teammate in the same run of games. Lamela (6) is second on that list. He is evidently maximising the space afforded to him by Son’s clever movement off the ball, as well as perhaps being spurred on by an increase in competition. As such, Lamela looks far more composed in possession, with his vision enabling him to pick the right pass to create potential goalscoring opportunities.
£30m is an awful lot of money to spend on any player, regardless of potential or ability. Spurs and Pochettino have invested a lot of time in Lamela in a bid to see their club-record signing come good. In home games, one can often hear the Tottenham manager and assistant Jesus Perez talking the Argentine through matches, and the player is now adhering to the demands of staff. With Son in the attack and pace injected into the frontline, supporters are finally seeing the best of the young wideman.
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