It comes to something when suggesting Erik Lamela deserves to start ahead of almost anyone, which might at first sound unkind, but he’s been at the club a very long time and has yet to fulfil any potential. Again, last night we got a taste of what the Argentine can do. If the fans want to be entertained then this is surely worth a shot?
I take a view that Gareth Bale and to a lesser extent Dele Alli are hovering around begging to be given chances, then Erik will continue to struggle for minutes. This is a shame because whilst not always successful, he is focussed and driven, almost to the point of being possessed!
For my money (£300,000+ pwk) Lamela offers a more consistent threat than Bale does.
I mean I just find this an excuse to get a blog piece up. Would you seriously rather Lamela on the pitch than Bale? I understand you write things to get a reaction but you are really fishing here HH.
You’ve slated Lamela throughout the years here and now he seems a more reliable pick to you because he is a man possessed and ultimately less of a wage bill.
I can only think back on the Man City game and all I can remember is how poor Lamela was and how sinful he was with giving the ball away. Now I understand the whole team were much but Lamela especially stood out. Subs will bring energy, like Bale did in City game and Lamela yesterday. But ultimately, there’s no comparing Bale & Lamela.
Great blog in general HH, and love listening to this blogs pov – but you’re way off the boil here.
Now I’ll stop being such a negative bollox – it’s Friday!
Bale’s wond of a left foot can do stuff Lamela and Stevie B can only dream of..let’s hope he doesn’t break down.
Shame he can’t use his right foot. Has got the trickery to get past players but being so 1 footed it limits his options at the vital moment.
Look at the last few goals Bale scored. When did Lame La last do that? Neither are quite good enough for a top 4 side, though Lame La has never quite been consistent enough to be, but Bale still ‘might’ prove capable.
He won that penalty vs United though ;p
Bale is more likely to score / assist than Lamela on this seasons stats. Lamela has no goals and no assists this season in the Prem and played 89 minutes more than Bale (3 goals 2 assists). I think it depends what you want – Lamela offers more energy and defensively compared to Bale, but IMHO he does not produce enough in his position for a team that has top 4 aspirations. Start Lamela over Bale and you probably get a more solid defensive performer but at the expense of a weaker attacking threat. Useful to bring on late when you are defending a lead, that’s about it.