Player Watch: Erik Lamela

[Kiedis]

He really got going when the going got tough tonight. Immense workrate and willingness to actually receive the ball to weather the storm Villa put us under after the goal.

 

[Hazelton]

You can tell that he's played in Serie A. He's arguably our best player tactically, in terms of tracking back, working hard and making smart decisions. Adds so much to the team that isn't necessarily obvious.

 

[allpaths]

thought he was having an average game until the last ten minutes or so, he made sure that the stoke result wasnt going to happen again and showed real quality

 

[Chris12]

Thought he was OK in first half but second half from the start I thought was very good. He created a few chances and few nice pieces of skill. Also gets into some good positions through movement but people either don't spot him or just choose not to pass.

 

[nssmuckers]

One of those players who just naturally understands space and where to be and how to move. It's not luck that he ends up with so many assists and chances created even in games where he's giving the ball away constantly.

Today though he was awesome and pragmatic. Kept the ball and still created chances.

 

[branchie]

Thought he was great tonight. Finally showing some consistent qualities.

 

[Lufti]

I was very, very impressed with him tonight.

I thought at half time that he'd been a bit quiet, but I wasn't sure if that was true or I just hadn't been paying much attention to him, so I watched him a little more closely than I normally would. He was incredibly neat and tidy, but didn't need to sacrifice his creative element and simply play safe in order to do so. One of his biggest problems before was that although he was creating chances, he was also risking the ball a bit too much and giving it away in sometimes dangerous situations while attempting to make something happen. Nowadays he's looking much more polished and is retaining the ball while still always looking to move forward. Impressive stuff

Edit: Oh and another thing about him is he's clearly an intelligent player and defensively astute. He is constantly adjusting his position when we don't have the ball to cut off passing lanes and he does so really well, helps our shape a lot.

 

[rossdapep]

You really can't criticise his attitude and that's why many have been patient with him, rightly so!

 

[kaz Hirai]

Skill, composure, hard work and ANOTHER key contribution

 

[Hercules]

Along with Eriksen our most intelligent player.

 

[whitelanefever]

When we were starting to shake & look nervous, he was the one that wanted to get on the ball & just keep possession to take the momentum away from Villa.. I thought him & Walker were excellent tonight

 

[sammyj]

Getting better game by game

 

[Shadydan]

Glad people are starting to see his qualities, he's clearly matured as a player.

 

[Chris12]

Think he has gotten a bit stronger. Seems to be able to hold up the ball a bit better than used to.

 

[AW?]

Along with Eriksen our most intelligent player.

With Son and Alli we've got some real flair in there now. Fucking love it.

 

[Ghost Hardware]

Kept his head on his shoulders very well. Knew he was 1 yellow away from a suspension and that we have Arsenal next in the PL but still pressed and pressured AV very well but didn't make one rash chalange. Really good to see. Apart from that I thought he was great the second half, first half he just didn't see enough of the ball as 80% of the play was over on the left with Rose and Eriksen, but second half he forced his way into the game and was really enjoyable to watch. Credit to him.

 

[Lufti]

With Son and Alli we've got some real flair in there now. Fucking love it.

Will be interesting to see what happens when Son is fit. Not sure who should make way for him when he's back, maybe Dembele?

 

[Mustard]

Weird reading all this praise. Apart from the assist I thought he had a below average game.

 

[Deathfishray]

Weird reading all this praise. Apart from the assist I thought he had a below average game.

The last 10-15mins from him can't be overlooked, his hold up play and time wasting efforts were brilliant. If it was someone like Townsend playing instead, I would bet that the ball would have been coming back at us constantly. He's only going to get better!

 

[kaz Hirai]

https://streamable.com/3gu6


Lol the kid is quality