Why Lamela is carefully managed by Poch... | Vital Football

Why Lamela is carefully managed by Poch...

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Erik Lamela on Tottenham injury trouble: Balancing training, matches drives me 'crazy'
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12:00 PM

  • Ben PearceTottenham correspondent

Tottenham's Erik Lamela has said he is having to manage his workload and prioritise matches over training to ensure he remains injury-free, and admits the balancing act sometimes drives him "crazy."

The Argentinian midfielder was sidelined for more than a year between October 2016 and November 2017, undergoing surgery on both of his hips during that period.

He has now scored five goals in seven matches, including Saturday's winner at West Ham. But that was Lamela's first Premier League start of the season and, while he is feeling fit, he admits he cannot operate at full throttle all of the time.


"Will I be able to play in all of our upcoming matches? I don't know," he said. "This is for the manager and staff [to decide] -- they know how to manage me after a lot of time together.

"Sometimes I cannot go 80 per cent, even in training. I'm crazy sometimes but it's like this. I play football like this and now I'm taking care about this.

"I'm trying to manage myself, especially when we have a long week -- to train hard of course but to arrive good to the game and take care about everything. Normally we train really hard here. It's just because I want to play the games, it's more important than training.

"This is what we're doing now and I think the manager and the staff, they take care about me, and the rest of the team. They care about all the players.

"I'm feeling good; my hips are feeling better. When you're injured it's really hard, and when you come back too. But now I'm happy with my feeling on the pitch and my place in the team."

Lamela's Tottenham teammate Mousa Dembele has been impressed with the Argentine's start to the campaign.

"Everyone knows he has a strong mentality," Dembele said. "That's why I think he's now improved a lot. You can see he's so important for us and we always knew this. I'm happy he's showing the world what he's capable of."

Tottenham have made their best ever start to a Premier League campaign but are yet to pick up a point in their Champions League group, having lost both of their opening fixtures against Inter Milan and Barcelona.

There is now no margin for error as they prepare to visit PSV Eindhoven on Wednesday.

"We know we have to win to keep in the competition,"Lamela said. "If not, every time it's more difficult to go through.

"Unfortunately we started with a loss in the Champions League in Milan. This was very bad for the start, and the start is always so important.

"After that we lost against Barcelona -- they have a very good team -- and now we will try to win because it's another opportunity and we will not have too many chances. We know we have to win on Wednesday."
 
For me, it's 3 things with Lamela:

1) Prove that you're robust enough to be available for selection most of the time. It's been great in 2018, but we need more.
2) Be more relevant for the entire 90 mins. Sometimes he's massively involved. Other times, he's a little AWOL. Not as bad as Son for that though and we've seen Moura MIA as well.
3) Assists and goals. If he carries on at the current rate he'll be the player of the season with 20+ goals and 15 assists. We'll all accept a lower run-rate as long as he keeps popping up with contributions.
 
Sometimes taking a step back in training in any sport can do wonders.
Analysing his long term injury problems and being smart may prolong his stay with us.

Time will tell but he has looked the best he ever has for us in recent months.
 
Yes. The word pusillanimous does not come to mind so much anymore.
 
Lorente must easily be in our top ten worst ever acquisitions.....not fit, not fit for purpose, not fit to lace his own boots.....he adds sweet FA when he comes on....and his effort is abysmal.....outrageous wages..... it like stealing! .....makes Lamelas 80% extremely impressive by comparison .RANT OVER..........
 
He came to us as the new Argie boy wonder with 15 goals in his last serie A season. After 6 tortuous years we are starting to see the guy we thought we had signed. As they say 'what doesn't kill you makes you stronger'.I wish him all the best & hope the doubters will start chanting his name for the right reasons. I always rated his skill & ability to make things happen.The only thing missing were the goals. He is scoring for fun now!
 
80deg16minW said:
Yes. The word pusillanimous does not come to mind so much anymore.
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Not sure that was ever the right word for Lamela. The way he came back from a career threatening injury and took the hard option of fighting to prove himself here rather than limping off to a less physical league where his skills are less likely to see him kicked up in the air was anything but timid.

Only really applied in front of goal which baffles me as he was fairly clinical in Series A but seemed to not want to shoot much here until this season.
 
freundorfoe said:
Not sure that was ever the right word for Lamela. The way he came back from a career threatening injury and took the hard option of fighting to prove himself here rather than limping off to a less physical league where his skills are less likely to see him kicked up in the air was anything but timid.

Only really applied in front of goal which baffles me as he was fairly clinical in Series A but seemed to not want to shoot much here until this season.
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I said the first time I watched him that he had a biomechanical issue; his gait, his inability to move from a standing start with out waddling from side to side all point to a problem - and so not long after, it was reported as a 'back problem' and Tim couldn't/wouldn't play him, not too long after it was reported as a right-hip issue and then a left hip issue - if you watch him now the waddling is far less pronounced; I suspect they've operated on where his upper hammies join his thigh or it was a problem with his hip flexor muscles and they've had to deal with it by reattaching fibres/full muscle in that group.

Either way, the waddling has lessened, he now does have some explosive standing start acceleration - to me, far more than he had pre-ops - standing up to and trying to deal with injuries like this in the gym is notoriously difficult and whilst you can play, it pulls, it rips, it unbalances and it hurts - alot. Subconsciously it will stop you from extending into a full shot because of the reverb through the muscles and the strain in the hips.

I started thinking he'd never make it back - it is entirely to his credit that he has.

He is beginning to play with freedom, he is looking 100% better with his close control and he is now going past people - if he can have a full injury free season, you may well find that he ends up with a sizable goal and assist tally, if for no other reason, competition will also bring the best out of him and as his fitness improves, his form will improve, he'll have more confidence in his decision making - and we'll benefit for it.

In many respects after a frustrating few years, he really could have his best years in a Spurs shirt ahead of him.
 
I really hope that's the case. As you may remember I've always espoused his value and pointed to his form when not injured, this isn't his first purple patch although it probably is his best... however even I was beginning to worry the injuries just wouldn't stop coming when he got his last lay off for a few weeks. I really hope we can get 35+ games a season out of him and he signs an extension.
 
freundorfoe said:
I really hope that's the case. As you may remember I've always espoused his value and pointed to his form when not injured, this isn't his first purple patch although it probably is his best... however even I was beginning to worry the injuries just wouldn't stop coming when he got his last lay off for a few weeks. I really hope we can get 35+ games a season out of him and he signs an extension.
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Correct he has contributed over other seasons , it's not like this is the first time he has shone.
 
Greavswasthegreatest said:
Lorente must easily be in our top ten worst ever acquisitions.....not fit, not fit for purpose, not fit to lace his own boots.....he adds sweet FA when he comes on....and his effort is abysmal.....outrageous wages..... it like stealing! .....makes Lamelas 80% extremely impressive by comparison .RANT OVER..........
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Stop beating around the bush Greavesie , tell us what you really feel . If he is not fit fit to lace his own boots , I really feel for the poor wretch who is . Any ideas?
Anyone got any idea what Soldapup is up to these days ? Maybe we could get him back in January
 
Had to wait longer than I thought I would but i reckon 'I told you so' is quite apt here. Not just from me but there was 3 or 4 posters on here that recognized the obstacles in this lads way and how his mental strength, underlying quickness of thought and sheer happiness to graft would shine through.

I still reckon Spurs would make a profit on him if they get a full season out of him at current levels
 
Littlest Hobo said:
Had to wait longer than I thought I would but i reckon 'I told you so' is quite apt here. Not just from me but there was 3 or 4 posters on here that recognized the obstacles in this lads way and how his mental strength, underlying quickness of thought and sheer happiness to graft would shine through.

I still reckon Spurs would make a profit on him if they get a full season out of him at current levels
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So what you are saying is: "I told you so but let's sell him". ???????
 
No I'm saying a few of us have backed him for ages and saw a player battling through obstacles. Wether they were team mates on different wavelengths, physical or family, he had talent and he had heart. The sell comment was also reference to conversations had in the past about value and cost. I always maintained in terms of value, he was always worth the money if we could get him fit as his value would increase. Only now do those arguments start to make a little more sense. But it's ok, try to make me sound like I want to sell him, that's fine
 
I asked the question what's he worth now during his last purple patch before his operations. It was thought he was worth 30 mil or more then. I have given up fighting his corner now. But I will celebrate fervently every time he has a good game.
 
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