Player Watch Player Watch - Lucas Moura

[ClintEastwould]

I know it’s been said before but the guy leaps like a fucking salmon.

 

[glospur]

I have to admit that I don't get the concerns over him. He's not a world beater, but he adds a different dimension to our attacking group. He can be a bit erratic, sometimes looking like said world beater and other times with the touch of a non-league footballer, but I think that's the nature of the beast with him and has been for most of his career.

He's been a good, but not great signing. However, taking a broader view, it's still very early in his Spurs career. We saw with Son that it can take 12 or 18 months to really settle into Pochettino's system, and I wouldn't be surprised to see Lucas improve further over the next 12 months.

Ultimately, this season, his first full season for Spurs, in the league and Europe (the two most important competitions) he's going at 1 goal every three games, and I imagine his goals per 90 would be even better than that. It's a good record for a player in his position.

 

[SUIYHA]

Has Poch lost faith in him? He's only started one of our last 10 league games and has played just 138 minutes in that time (since Boxing Day). A fast, tricky attacking player should be perfect to bring off the bench, but yet again Poch preferred to use only two substitutes, one of which was again the ineffective Llorente, than bring Lucas on. I thought Mustafi at RB would have struggled against his pace.

The guy does frustrate me sometimes but he's only going to find the consistency that Son has eventually found by getting runs of games and settling in. With Son looking like he needs a rest, Alli injured, Llorente still underwhelming and Eriksen not looking like he gives a shit at the moment, I'd have thought nursing Lucas back to form should have been a top priority at the moment...

 

[richard_gleeson]

He's been poor

 

[nuttynoah]

Always Townsend with maracas.
We need to upgrade our PSG rejects this summer.

 

[dtxspurs]

I wonder if he's hurt or something.

 

[thebenjamin]

I wonder if he's hurt or something.

Honestly I just think he isn't all that. I have a mate who's a PSG season ticket holder -- when I was excited that we were signing him he told me he's good for a goal here or there but that he doesn't know how to fit into a team pattern and his passing is very poor. Haven't seen much to disagree with him on -- I think Moura has 1 assist since joining the club.

What has surprised me is that his close control and dribbling doesn't actually seem that good. He overruns the ball all the time, and only seems useful when he has a lot of space in front. Almost like you can't rely on youtube videos to tell you the truth!

I guess he may still be adjusting, but weirdly he seems quite OK with the physical side of the game, his problems are technical. I haven't seen much to make me think he's going to make it with us. People say that with Son he looked poor early on, but you could see what he had, even if it was fleeting. Over a year into his time at the club and I don't really know what Lucas's strengths are, or what his position is.

 

[kaz Hirai]

Honestly I just think he isn't all that. I have a mate who's a PSG season ticket holder -- when I was excited that we were signing him he told me he's good for a goal here or there but that he doesn't know how to fit into a team pattern and his passing is very poor. Haven't seen much to disagree with him on -- I think Moura has 1 assist since joining the club.

What has surprised me is that his close control and dribbling doesn't actually seem that good. He overruns the ball all the time, and only seems useful when he has a lot of space in front. Almost like you can't rely on youtube videos to tell you the truth!

I guess he may still be adjusting, but weirdly he seems quite OK with the physical side of the game, his problems are technical. I haven't seen much to make me think he's going to make it with us. People say that with Son he looked poor early on, but you could see what he had, even if it was fleeting. Over a year into his time at the club and I don't really know what Lucas's strengths are, or what his position is.

Think that's his biggest problem, I don't know where he should play. Doesn't have the vision or passing to provide from out wide and not very good with his movement whenever he's played forward.

Suppose thrown on late in games against tired minds in eriksens roll could be interesting. Just run about from deep and cause havoc

 

[JarBirl]

I am seeing a lot of Son and Lucas comparisons and I personally don't think their first seasons are comparable at all.

Son's first season was difficult, but let's not forget he had plantar fasciitis. I remember he played a few games whilst being in pain. Eventually, he had a time-off, but from what I know it's most likely a chronic issue for him and at least he probably played a lot of games in the first season with varying degrees of pain (there is no definite cure for this). It really does affect one's mobility quite a bit, as we all know. And Son was around 22-23 around the time he moved, so inexperience (for a lack of a better word) could also be added to that.

So I think saying Lucas can come good simply because Son has can be a bit of an overstatement. We should just try to look at the players individually and come to our own conclusion.

Anyways what's actually worrying me is that Poch doesn't seem to trust him much at all. He chooses Llorente and Lamela ahead of him and isn't getting much playing time due to this.

I agree that he doesn't seem to be on the same wavelength as the other players most of the time, but how much of it is down to limited playing time now? Does Poch still think he can help him develop and overcome his weaknesses?

I really really hope he will find some form soon, and if he does, this will be the right time because we are in dire need. Son's knackered and isn't firing up at the moment. I am not sure when Dele is coming back. Lamela has been off form too. We've been running Kane to the ground since he's come back from injury. Eriksen is struggling as well, having to play deeper and provide defensive cover (which is not his strongest suit) in midfield.

If we had one good, really impactful sub we could choose off the bench, we wouldn't have struggled as much (same with our midfield of course). Basically, we had to rely on mostly two players (Kane and Son) for goals up until this point.

 

[Nebby]

Has looked OK against lower league opposition in the cups, but right now looks well off the pace. Rarely makes any kind of positive impact when he comes on. Looks like nothing more than a squad player, which is OK I guess, but we seem to be collecting a few of those when what we really need are players that will want to fight for a starting place every week.

 

[Monkey boy]

Buy cheap, you buy twice. There’s a reason Mahrez was £50m whereas he was £25m.

 

[Shadydan]

Buy cheap, you buy twice. There’s a reason Mahrez was £50m whereas he was £25m.

Why was Dele £5m then?

 

[Monkey boy]

Why was Dele £5m then?

Because he was 18 and came from MK Dons rather than 26 and from PSG......and generally he is the exception to the rule.

 

[spursfan77]

If we need to raise funds to buy new players then I suspect he will be one that we let go. He’s scored some important goals and will have a role to play over the rest of the season but it does seem he’s fallen out of favour a little. Maybe he had a tantrum after being in the side then being dropped when Son came back or something like that.

 

[Locotoro]

I agree that he doesn't have an obvious role in the team and this may be to his detriment. For me the only place he fits is as a second striker rotating/competing with Son and right now he's going to be losing that battle. Its all part of having a strong squad that players come in and out of form and compete with each other throughout the year.

 

[Shadydan]

Because he was 18 and came from MK Dons rather than 26 and from PSG......and generally he is the exception to the rule.

Can you explain Shaquiri, Torreira, Fabian Schaar then?

 

[wrd]

Can you explain Shaquiri, Torreira, Fabian Schaar then?

Shaqiri and Schaar both had release clauses and Torreira cost 26 Mill. Relatively speaking we had choice out of Malcom and Moura and we chose the cheaper option.

 

[TheHoddleWaddle]

Lucas is a good player. When he is played in with space, he has pace, skill and a good eye for goal. As we saw towards the start of the season.

However, he is all about confidence and I suspect he is off the plot in that respect at the moment. Watch his body language. His head drops immediately, he isn't smiling and enjoying his football. That seems obvious to me. It's been this way for quite a while.

We can be quick to judge, he's been largely unimpressive of late, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was something in the background. Welfare, family struggling to settle. A whole.host of possibilities.

I know that there is no evidence of this, it's just a hunch. I think he could be a superb attacker for us, personally I've seen enough to know there s a hell of a player under that disguise.

I just hope that whatever mental Demons are holding him back can be put to bed before he's judged to be lacking. (Which he is at present).

 

[danielneeds]

Lucas is a good player. When he is played in with space, he has pace, skill and a good eye for goal. As we saw towards the start of the season.

However, he is all about confidence and I suspect he is off the plot in that respect at the moment. Watch his body language. His head drops immediately, he isn't smiling and enjoying his football. That seems obvious to me. It's been this way for quite a while.

We can be quick to judge, he's been largely unimpressive of late, but I wouldn't be surprised if there was something in the background. Welfare, family struggling to settle. A whole.host of possibilities.

I know that there is no evidence of this, it's just a hunch. I think he could be a superb attacker for us, personally I've seen enough to know there s a hell of a player under that disguise.

I just hope that whatever mental Demons are holding him back can be put to bed before he's judged to be lacking. (Which he is at present).

Im not sure it’s off the pitch stuff. He seems a very easy going, happy guy. To me, it’s more that the coaching team have taken this guy who’s been a pretty orthodox right winger for most of his career and have tried to retask him into a more modern all-round wing forward.

I think he’s been asked to do a lot of different things than he’s been used to, and it has been difficult for him to adapt. We may see the benefits of it next season though.

 

[TheHoddleWaddle]

Im not sure it’s off the pitch stuff. He seems a very easy going, happy guy. To me, it’s more that the coaching team have taken this guy who’s been a pretty orthodox right winger for most of his career and have tried to retask him into a more modern all-round wing forward.

I think he’s been asked to do a lot of different things than he’s been used to, and it has been difficult for him to adapt. We may see the benefits of it next season though.

Could be mate. The only reason I wondered I'd his body language. For such an easy going happy chap, I'm not seeing it in his actions on field. Sometimes he looks properly fed up. Hopefully he can turn it around.