Tottenham End of Season Review: Érik Lamela
By Peter Brewis
Érik Lamela has had an up and down three years at Tottenham Hotspur.
The first two seasons drew mixed reviews with many unhappy supporters calling for an immediate sale and giving him the “bust” tag. The 2015/16 season didn’t provide a particularly huge increase in traditional “production” categories, however the criticism of his game certainly decreased astronomically as Lamela found and excelled in a particular role in the starting XI.
In Lamela’s most productive season at Roma he netted 15 goals and five assists in 33 Serie A appearances. This was in 2012/13.
Since then, from a goal scoring perspective, this season has been his most productive, scoring five times in the Premier League and six times in the Europa League (helped by a hat-trick against Monaco) while also adding nine league assists. Again, these are not numbers that would blow anyone away, however Lamela has played an absolutely irreplaceable role for Tottenham this season.
To quote Ryan Wrenn, Erik Lamela plays a liminal role at Tottenham Hotspur. He does a job on the margin as he hovers between defense and offense with responsibilities on both sides of the ball.
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Going forward Lamela has chipped in with nine assists this season, good enough for 9th in the Premier League. Since coming to north London his assist totals have continued to increase, and this is his most productive season in that department. And again, noting his liminal role, this makes sense. Playing alongside the Young Player of The Year, behind this season’s Golden Boot winner, and one of the best players in the Premier League at keeping possession in Mousa Dembélé, Lamela does need to get himself all over the score sheet in order to be a vital, contributing member of Tottenham Hotspur. He simply needs to help facilitate the players around them and allow them to continue to do what they do best.
Sometimes what players do best is difficult to quantify. Érik Lamela is absolutely one of those players. His 2.4 tackles per game puts him 52nd in the Premier League, right between Philipp Wollscheid of Stoke and Cheick Tiote of Newcastle United. Along with that, his total tackles (80) puts him 32nd the Premier League, just behind Daryl Janmaat and Almen Abdi. This certainly isn’t to say that Lamela’s tackling or defensive prowess leaves something to be desired. On the contrary, it is his defensive work rate and commitment to the press that makes him so valuable.
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Lamela’s goal scoring statistics don’t blow anybody away. However, even with less than stellar attacking numbers he has cemented himself as one Pochettino’s most valuable players. Lamela certainly has an edge of tenacity to his game, ranking second in the Premier League with an average of 9 fouls per game. Again, this is vital to the role he plays for Tottenham in that he is willing and able to give away free kicks in less dangerous parts of the pitch in order to allow the team to re find their shape after losing the ball. With the high pressing system that Pochettino has brought to North London, this skill set fits in perfectly and only makes those around Lamela better.
Overall Lamela has had a very strong season in 2015-2016 and has done well to silence a lot of the critics he faced since making the move from Italy. His harshest critics, however, might insist that he needs to score more goals in the Premier League.
It’s a fair point, but it’s also important to remember that next season will bring Champions League football. If Lamela can add one or two more goals to his Premier League tally, along with his assists, while chipping in three or four goals in the Champions League; it will be hard for anyone to be upset with the work that he has done.
Next: Tottenham End of Season Review: Dele Alli
Overall, this has been a solid “A-” season for Érik Lamela. He is a pivotal part of the press and seems to fit into the culture that Pochettino has worked to create. It’s good to see him finally settling in after coming from Roma with so much hype and expectations. He has recently stated that he wants at least one more year at Tottenham, and it will be sad to see him go when he does, but Tottenham fans should be happy with the years he spent here. Érik Lamela was great to watch this season and will only bring more joy to Spurs supporters next season, especially when he scores on club football’s biggest stage.
Final Grade: A-