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I liked Erik Lamela before it was cool

The fact that he didn't would suggest that Lamela got the balance between caution and aggression perfectly.

Perhaps he has some sort of weird, ju-ju, unpredictable-ref slide-rule. Could be, because I observe him judging those sort of arm-flailing, lunging challenges to perfection all the time. Not.
 
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Perhaps he has some sort of weird, ju-ju, unpredictable-ref slide-rule. Could be, because I observe him judging those sort of arm-flailing, lunging challenges to perfection all the time. Not.
Well he didn't get sent off so he clearly didn't go too far.
 
He had a quiet game attacking until the assist but it was a very inteligent pass, could have dribbled and shot but he had his head up and laid it across.

In the whole game his defensive work was brilliant, always up and down giving cover to his defensive colleagues and kept going.

You can see why he starts as he functions in the team rather than as an individual. If he can regulalrly pull of amazing individual performances ( ala Emirates Marketing Project) to couple with his team efforts then we really have something.
 
He had a quiet game attacking until the assist but it was a very inteligent pass, could have dribbled and shot but he had his head up and laid it across.

In the whole game his defensive work was brilliant, always up and down giving cover to his defensive colleagues and kept going.

You can see why he starts as he functions in the team rather than as an individual. If he can regulalrly pull of amazing individual performances ( ala Emirates Marketing Project) to couple with his team efforts then we really have something.

2 goals and 3 assists in the league so far. Total of 5 direct goal involvements. Same as Kane (5 goals) and Eriksen (also 2 goals, 3 assists). Those 3 have been our most influential attacking players in terms of direct tangible results (goals and assists).

I don't think it's quite fair to expect Lamela to perform like against City regularly. But if he keeps working hard and delivering goals and assists at a good rate like this I would suggest we already have something. Especially as he's stopped giving the ball away as much as he did back when he was struggling and is functioning well in our buildup play too.
 
Which stats do you think would be better to assess his performance?

I thought he wasn't that bad to be honest, he has been a LOT worse!

I would suggest stats can and are helpful, but it would be ideal to use them in conjunction with footballing knowledge and experience which I am sure our powers that be do.
 
The position he was in for the assist is a position he has regularly taking up, but we aren't finding him.
He is getting into good areas but we aren't using him all the time. And we shouldn't,?that would be to predictable.
 
Finney, who I have just seen gave Rose man of the match (by far the worst player on the pitch) now says Lamela was awful in the same match (probably the best player on the pitch). This is hilarious... :) I thought Modric was my opposite with opinions... Crazy crazy thinking!!!
 
Well he didn't get sent off so he clearly didn't go too far.

You're begging the question of accurate and fair decisions on the part of the referee (hardly appropriate, in the circumstances). There was no fine line of judgment that Lamela gauged to perfection. He was lucky (as players sometimes are, sometimes aren't with refs) and he needs to learn to control himself better, especially when he's already been cautioned. That last is really the only point I'm making.
 
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Finney, who I have just seen gave Rose man of the match (by far the worst player on the pitch) now says Lamela was awful in the same match (probably the best player on the pitch). This is hilarious... :) I thought Modric was my opposite with opinions... Crazy crazy thinking!!!
Opinions are just opinions.... I don't think that mine have any more relevance than yours (although yours are clearly wrong!) ;)
 
2 goals and 3 assists in the league so far. Total of 5 direct goal involvements. Same as Kane (5 goals) and Eriksen (also 2 goals, 3 assists). Those 3 have been our most influential attacking players in terms of direct tangible results (goals and assists).

I don't think it's quite fair to expect Lamela to perform like against City regularly. But if he keeps working hard and delivering goals and assists at a good rate like this I would suggest we already have something. Especially as he's stopped giving the ball away as much as he did back when he was struggling and is functioning well in our buildup play too.

I think he has cemented his place in the team, always a starter, his decision making is starting to improve. Special he isn't yet. Vital part of our current success he is.
 
You're begging the question of accurate and fair decisions on the part of the referee (hardly appropriate, in the circumstances). There was no fine line of judgment that Lamela gauged to perfection. He was lucky (as players sometimes are, sometimes aren't with refs) and he needs to learn to control himself better, especially when he's already been cautioned. That last is really the only point I'm making.
I think that until or unless he gets sent off in a match for us, the proximity between him and getting sent off can only be judged to be correct.
 
I think that until or unless he gets sent off in a match for us, the proximity between him and getting sent off can only be judged to be correct.

That sounds rather idealistic to me ;)

I think he has a tendency to make these rash challenges that he needs to curb, or else he may not be as lucky the next time. If you don't agree, let's leave it at that.
 
From Sky:

http://www.skysports.com/football/n...ttenham-argentine-rewarding-fans8217-patience


Tottenham’s record signing has tested fans’ patience, but Erik Lamela is finally finding his form. Adam Bate examines his improvement...

Roma's owner was still crowing about it in the summer. At a press conference in June, James Palotta claimed to have met an unspecified member of Tottenham's hierarchy at a party in Sardinia who "still couldn't come to terms with the deal" that was done in paying over £25m for Erik Lamela.

Many Spurs supporters would have felt the same way and it was interesting to hear Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher argue last week that with every player he worked with at Liverpool, it was apparent within a matter of months whether or not they would be able to make the transition.

There was even speculation about a summer exit for Lamela well into August with his obvious potential seemingly unlikely to be fulfilled in a Spurs shirt. That would have been regrettable as there has been sympathy for the challenges the young Argentine has faced on and off the pitch.
"English football is much more physical while the game is more tactical in Italy," said Lamela back in his first season in the Premier League. Mauricio Pochettino has since agreed that the move from Italy to England can be tougher than other leagues such as France because of these differences.

The adjustment is cultural as well as tactical. Ex-Spurs boss Andre Villas Boas cited language difficulties as an issue for Lamela in those early months, while Kyle Walker admitted he'd struggled to settle after arriving from Sheffield let alone Buenos Aires via Rome.
But the patience couldn't last forever. A response was needed. "I think this is a key season for him," said Pochettino. "After two seasons at Tottenham, now is the moment for him. Not to put pressure, but it's true. It's a key moment for him to develop and to move on his game. It's important."
Lamela has delivered that improvement. There was the pass to Ryan Mason that carved open the Sunderland defence for Spurs' late winner at the Stadium of Light. There was the possession he won on the edge of his own area to spark the counter-attack for Son Heung-Min's winner against Crystal Palace.

He has scored twice too recently - against Emirates Marketing Project and Bournemouth - to match his tally from his previous 47 Premier League games, and on Monday night against Aston Villa, it was his measured pass that provided the assist for Harry Kane's nerve-settling final goal.
The way Lamela finished that game, scrapping for the ball in the final third to relieve the pressure on his side, was particularly encouraging. He's now prepared to be the team's decisive player. The chance laid on for Kane was the 24th he has fashioned this season, only one behind Christian Eriksen.
That puts him among the top 10 most creative players in the Premier League and the trajectory is going in the right direction. In his first season at Spurs, Lamela created 1.6 openings per 90 minutes. Last season it was 2.3. Now he's up at 3.4 chances per game, a rate bettered by only a handful of players in the country.

He's done so by embracing Pochettino's approach. Lamela is no luxury. Against Villa, he covered more ground (12.55 kilometres) than any other player on the pitch and there is an intensity to his work too.

In the win over Palace, his total of 70 sprints was the most of any player. Against City, he upped that to 71. "He worked hard for the team up and down the pitch," said Kane of Lamela's efforts that day. "We had the higher press, we were relentless in our running and that's what we've been doing to teams this season."

Lamela's role in that pressing and the defensive contribution he makes shouldn't be overlooked. He makes more tackles and interceptions than any of his fellow attacking midfielders at the club. Pochettino is delighted. "It is good for him and good for us that he is starting to show his real talent and his real quality," he said last month.
 
Good article that, highlights somethings I think have been missed about him this season, his off the ball work either attacking or defending and his ability spring players with clever passes.
 
Not sure why anyone would single out Lamela's performance against Villa, not great, not terrible (much like how the team as a whole played, stuck in 2nd gear)

What I have noticed was not his eagerness and workrate (think he always had that), in the Villa game I saw his strength on the ball has improved significantly, he actually is shielding the ball against physical pressure (he would fall down previously). In my opinion if he adds strength on the ball, +taking the simple route more often (he did for Kane goal), then he will likely be a far more effective player for us.
 
good to see lamela getting credit for his perseverence. i believe more goals will follow once he starts to believe in himself.
 
Not sure why anyone would single out Lamela's performance against Villa, not great, not terrible (much like how the team as a whole played, stuck in 2nd gear)

What I have noticed was not his eagerness and workrate (think he always had that), in the Villa game I saw his strength on the ball has improved significantly, he actually is shielding the ball against physical pressure (he would fall down previously). In my opinion if he adds strength on the ball, +taking the simple route more often (he did for Kane goal), then he will likely be a far more effective player for us.

I really feel the narrative of Lamela being a flop at Spurs has been stuck into people's minds for too long.

People are judging him much harsher than other players. He has a somewhat quiet game and it's seen as woeful by some. He has an average first half and people want him taken off despite him turning it around for us in the past. He's contributed as much as anyone in terms of end product this season and some people seem to have no patience. He gets singled out for being no worse than other players.

I thought it was the same last season when many people denied that he was making progress, thought that he should be dropped for Townsend and so on.

I think he's changed a lot of minds recently, but it's slow going...
 
Opinions are just opinions.... I don't think that mine have any more relevance than yours (although yours are clearly wrong!) ;)

Of course and exactly, like I said about Modric, I actually like discussing stuff with people who think the opposite to me, a different perspective of the game and players and such. But I think you should watch the match again and look at Rose's crossing and lamella's work rat, passing and the absolute player who rose above all to calm us the fudge down in the final ten minutes.
 
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