A major turning point in Tottenham’s 3-0 win over Manchester United on Sunday came when Louis van Gaal bafflingly brought Timothy Fosu-Mensah off for Italian Matteo Darmian. The teenage defender, granted, had sustained a knock prior to his 68th minute withdrawal, but Van Gaal’s decision to replace the defender effectively cost United a positive result.
Fosu-Mensah tucked in to help form a back-three and while he was routinely tested by the marauding Danny Rose, the full-back dealt with the Spurs man’s offensive threat with ease. Fosu-Mensah was far and away United’s best-rated player with a WhoScored rating of 7.85, with five tackles, five interceptions and six clearances contributing to that. Indeed, it was somewhat embarrassing for United that an 18-year-old was holding their defence together.
The swiftness of their capitulation was a sight to behold for Spurs fans. The north London side blitzed United in a six-minute spell following Darmian’s introduction, with the space left between the Italian and Chris Smalling capitalised on with ruthless efficiency. It’s no coincidence that all three of Spurs’ goals stemmed from the left, with Toby Alderweireld’s header coming from a free-kick from that side following Darmian’s foul on Harry Kane.
Indeed, despite a slow start, it was fascinating to watch Spurs as they went through the motions over the course of the 90 minutes. Manager Mauricio Pochettino’s mantra is to suffocate the space and stifle the opposition as a means of securing victory and it worked once more as Spurs secured their first home league win over United since 2001.
While every player had a key role to play in the win, the plaudits have been thrust upon Erik Lamela and rightly so this week. The Argentine signed for a club record £30m back in 2013 as Spurs attempted to put the money raised from Gareth Bale’s record breaking move to Real Madrid to good use. There were mixed performances from those signed, however. Christian Eriksen and Nacer Chadli have become important players - the former more so - but then Roberto Soldado and Paulinho flopped.
Lamela was given time to settle, though it would not have been a shock to see Spurs cut their losses following Pochettino’s debut season at the helm. While the attacker had enjoyed a much-improved campaign in London, there was little to suggest he could cut the mustard at White Hart Lane in the long term. However, chairman Daniel Levy was keen to see a return on Lamela and the faith he placed in him has been rewarded with a series of battling displays in the attacking-three in Pochettino’s favoured 4-2-3-1 formation.
The 24-year-old’s display against United on Sunday returned a WhoScored rating of 9.17, enough to secure the man of the match award and his second best in a Premier League match since his big money arrival from Roma almost three years ago. A goal and an assist contributed to this, but it was his defensive work from the front that impressed most at the weekend, not to mention his strength in character to not allow an early miss to affect his confidence. Having been signed as a delicate winger from Roma, Lamela has developed into the ideal Pochettino player - a tireless worker with a mean streak to boot.
His nine tackles against United was not only the most in the match, but the joint-most by a Spurs player in a Premier League game this season, matched by Mousa Dembele’s nine in the 0-0 draw with Liverpool back in October, and further justifies his statistically calculated WhoScored strength of ‘defensive contribution’. An average of 2.4 tackles per game is the most of all attacking players in England’s top tier this term, with Lamela buying into Pochettino’s philosophy when he could well have been left by the wayside.
His tenacity in the final third is perhaps one of his underrated traits, with a never say die attitude often presenting Spurs with goalscoring chances. A prime example came on Sunday. With Lamela on the floor, he didn’t give up on the chance to win possession for his side, which resulted in Harry Kane coming away with the ball, picking a perfectly weighted pass for Eriksen to provide his 10th league assist of the season for Dele Alli’s eighth Premier League goal.
While Eriksen and Alli will receive the praise for their roles in the goal - and deservedly so - it’s difficult to overlook Lamela’s involvement. Spurs have lacked a real battler in the final third for some time, but the Argentina international brings the fight to help swarm the opposition. Of course, Lamela’s approach will land him in hot water with referees from time-to-time. Only Idrissa Gana (59) has committed more fouls in the Premier League this season than Lamela (55), though given his recent performances he is unlikely to alter his approach because of this anytime soon.
It’s a style that is clearly benefitting the team, however, as Spurs have both scored the most goals (60) and conceded the fewest (25) in the Premier League this season and sit seven points off first-placed Leicester. Furthermore, only Jamie Vardy (30) and Eriksen (28) have won possession in the attacking third more times than Lamela (26) in the Premier League this term. His energy levels help in winning the ball high up the pitch and catching the opposition defence unawares.
Some may feel that Lamela is now perhaps one of Spurs’ most important attackers. His relentlessness was desperately missed in the 1-1 draw at Liverpool and while he may have moved away from the flashy attacker fans expected when the club announced his capture, Lamela’s firmly endeared himself to supporters on the back of another dogged showing for Pochettino’s side.
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