Lamela has been good-to-excellent in every post-injury game he's played in this season until yesterday, where he was just average. But so were Kane, Alli, etc...
Lamela's job isn't to score- it's to graft. Yeah- I know: "But (*sputter*), he's an Attacking Mid- NOT a Center Mid!” Well, actually, he's kind of a hybrid- which is precisely what makes him such an interesting and unique player. What I mean is, amongst the attackers, he’s the water-carrier- the guy who does the dirty work of a CM, just in the final 3rd. He often gets the "assist before the assist," proving integral not only to our attack but also to our pressing, our winning the ball back, our ball retention and our scoring. However, like I said, these qualities often end up not gifting him with great stats.
I can think of many matches in which he picked the lock in games against minnows where we barely won. Or against giants; versus Juventus, his pass to Dele- carved out of nothing, and with defenders draped on him like white on rice- was what freed up Dels to drive and get fouled just outside the box; the rest, as they say, is history. Did he get a goal or an assist in that game? Nope. Did his actions lead to a nice, juicy stat? Nope. Yet take away Lamela and Eriksen- via Alli- doesn't even get that chance.
Lamela is the type of player that is PERFECT for us because he doesn't need glory, he just needs us to win- and win we do when he's in the lineup. I just don't get it-- it's as if because he's not Alexis Sanchez he's somehow not good enough. Again- I understand- he's an Attacking Mid. But that's just a title, a term to describe where on the pitch he's mostly likely to be found. It does not mean that he has to "score more goals;" rather, it means that he has to enhance our attack- which he does.
Also, as much as this thread (allegedly) demonstrates that his supporters are simply fawning sycophants, I think it also shows his detractors to be almost willfully dismissive of all the good that he does. The guy is such an asset to our team-- and not in the way, say, a Steed Malbranque was (i.e., a fella who gives his all/is willing to run through walls for the club/etc., but who isn't exactly the most naturally talented footballer on the planet). Instead, Lamela is a guy with incredible talent who could be a very solid goal scorer if that was his main job (like it was at Roma). He isn't, however, because he's either tasked with or- on his own- driven to doing what needs to be done for the good of the team. He's the guy whose work allows the Deles, the Kanes and the Eriksens of the world the freedom to themselves assist and score whilst meanwhile, right after whatever they try misses and/or is somehow stuffed, there's Coco: pressing, badgering, hounding, infuriating and just generally making life miserable for the opposition as they prepare to mount an attack of their own.
Look, would I like it if he scored more? Yeah, sure, of course. But am I equally just as happy when we win 2-1, with him getting zero goals/assists yet contributing mightily to the collective victory? Indeed I am.
Or put it this way: Heung-Min Son (whom I love, so don't get me wrong) is clearly better offensively than Lamela; I get that, you get that, everyone gets that. Yet, when Sonny's on the pitch, oftentimes an opposition player'll cut through our team like a hot knife through melted butter. Because as good as Son is offensively, he's that poor defensively. With Lamela, otoh, you probably won't get the highlight-reel goal (except occasionally), but what you will get is quality play all over.
I just don't get why some on here loathe him so. It's fucking bananas. Lamela is a rare breed, a guy who came to the world's hardest league, altered his game, changed his life around and now embraces- with his whole heart- a team that- five years ago- he'd likely barely even have heard of. He loves us now; that, you can tell. I mean, my God: dude said "FUCK YOU" to Jack Wilshire and STOMPED on Cesc Fabregas for Christ's sake!
What more do you want?
Lamela's job isn't to score- it's to graft. Yeah- I know: "But (*sputter*), he's an Attacking Mid- NOT a Center Mid!” Well, actually, he's kind of a hybrid- which is precisely what makes him such an interesting and unique player. What I mean is, amongst the attackers, he’s the water-carrier- the guy who does the dirty work of a CM, just in the final 3rd. He often gets the "assist before the assist," proving integral not only to our attack but also to our pressing, our winning the ball back, our ball retention and our scoring. However, like I said, these qualities often end up not gifting him with great stats.
I can think of many matches in which he picked the lock in games against minnows where we barely won. Or against giants; versus Juventus, his pass to Dele- carved out of nothing, and with defenders draped on him like white on rice- was what freed up Dels to drive and get fouled just outside the box; the rest, as they say, is history. Did he get a goal or an assist in that game? Nope. Did his actions lead to a nice, juicy stat? Nope. Yet take away Lamela and Eriksen- via Alli- doesn't even get that chance.
Lamela is the type of player that is PERFECT for us because he doesn't need glory, he just needs us to win- and win we do when he's in the lineup. I just don't get it-- it's as if because he's not Alexis Sanchez he's somehow not good enough. Again- I understand- he's an Attacking Mid. But that's just a title, a term to describe where on the pitch he's mostly likely to be found. It does not mean that he has to "score more goals;" rather, it means that he has to enhance our attack- which he does.
Also, as much as this thread (allegedly) demonstrates that his supporters are simply fawning sycophants, I think it also shows his detractors to be almost willfully dismissive of all the good that he does. The guy is such an asset to our team-- and not in the way, say, a Steed Malbranque was (i.e., a fella who gives his all/is willing to run through walls for the club/etc., but who isn't exactly the most naturally talented footballer on the planet). Instead, Lamela is a guy with incredible talent who could be a very solid goal scorer if that was his main job (like it was at Roma). He isn't, however, because he's either tasked with or- on his own- driven to doing what needs to be done for the good of the team. He's the guy whose work allows the Deles, the Kanes and the Eriksens of the world the freedom to themselves assist and score whilst meanwhile, right after whatever they try misses and/or is somehow stuffed, there's Coco: pressing, badgering, hounding, infuriating and just generally making life miserable for the opposition as they prepare to mount an attack of their own.
Look, would I like it if he scored more? Yeah, sure, of course. But am I equally just as happy when we win 2-1, with him getting zero goals/assists yet contributing mightily to the collective victory? Indeed I am.
Or put it this way: Heung-Min Son (whom I love, so don't get me wrong) is clearly better offensively than Lamela; I get that, you get that, everyone gets that. Yet, when Sonny's on the pitch, oftentimes an opposition player'll cut through our team like a hot knife through melted butter. Because as good as Son is offensively, he's that poor defensively. With Lamela, otoh, you probably won't get the highlight-reel goal (except occasionally), but what you will get is quality play all over.
I just don't get why some on here loathe him so. It's fucking bananas. Lamela is a rare breed, a guy who came to the world's hardest league, altered his game, changed his life around and now embraces- with his whole heart- a team that- five years ago- he'd likely barely even have heard of. He loves us now; that, you can tell. I mean, my God: dude said "FUCK YOU" to Jack Wilshire and STOMPED on Cesc Fabregas for Christ's sake!
What more do you want?
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