Ratings vs Chelsea
- Thread starter Bulletspur
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True, but picking the best team is seldom about picking your best 11 footballers.
But instead about having the most balanced, effective unit. Mitigating threats, and exposing weaknesses.
Lamela RIGHT + Erikssen/Chadli/Lennon LEFT is a disaster and horribly narrow.
Unless you have exceptional attacking full backs, which we don't (for the time being).
Lamela at 10 takes Kane out of his best position, and Kane/Soldado deserve to start together after Everton.
In the short term I'd rather play Kane, Erikssen, Lennon, Soldado - all in their best positions - than unbalance the whole team by catering for an and out of form Lamela.
Walker coming back will help him - and he'll get chances to start over Xmas, hopefully he takes them.
But instead about having the most balanced, effective unit. Mitigating threats, and exposing weaknesses.
Lamela RIGHT + Erikssen/Chadli/Lennon LEFT is a disaster and horribly narrow.
Unless you have exceptional attacking full backs, which we don't (for the time being).
Lamela at 10 takes Kane out of his best position, and Kane/Soldado deserve to start together after Everton.
In the short term I'd rather play Kane, Erikssen, Lennon, Soldado - all in their best positions - than unbalance the whole team by catering for an and out of form Lamela.
Walker coming back will help him - and he'll get chances to start over Xmas, hopefully he takes them.
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I think he will if we're patient.
We've paid for the potential so I don't see the problem with remaining patient, certainly up until now anyway. His circumstances are different to the ones you've listed as well. New country, doesn't speak the language and was injured for most of last season, which has been stated repeatedly
We've paid for the potential so I don't see the problem with remaining patient, certainly up until now anyway. His circumstances are different to the ones you've listed as well. New country, doesn't speak the language and was injured for most of last season, which has been stated repeatedly
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Okay, this is a semi-relevant parallel here Herr Jezz. But Lallana for 4 months versus Lamela at a year and 4 months is not quite the same...
...and style points to you for an alliterative parallel exemplified in your post
most ratings for Lamela for this match are 5s and 6s, so he did not have a great game... let's see how he does tomorrow. Maybe he should come off the bench for Lennon in the 60th minute?... I know you expect him to start, but he can be effective off the bench as well...
...and style points to you for an alliterative parallel exemplified in your post
most ratings for Lamela for this match are 5s and 6s, so he did not have a great game... let's see how he does tomorrow. Maybe he should come off the bench for Lennon in the 60th minute?... I know you expect him to start, but he can be effective off the bench as well...
Okay, this is a semi-relevant parallel here Herr Jezz. But Lallana for 4 months versus Lamela at a year and 4 months is not quite the same...
...and style points to you for an alliterative parallel exemplified in your post
most ratings for Lamela for this match are 5s and 6s, so he did not have a great game... let's see how he does tomorrow. Maybe he should come off the bench for Lennon in the 60th minute?... I know you expect him to start, but he can be effective off the bench as well...
...and style points to you for an alliterative parallel exemplified in your post
most ratings for Lamela for this match are 5s and 6s, so he did not have a great game... let's see how he does tomorrow. Maybe he should come off the bench for Lennon in the 60th minute?... I know you expect him to start, but he can be effective off the bench as well...
Okay, this is a semi-relevant parallel here Herr Jezz. But Lallana for 4 months versus Lamela at a year and 4 months is not quite the same...
...and style points to you for an alliterative parallel exemplified in your post
most ratings for Lamela for this match are 5s and 6s, so he did not have a great game... let's see how he does tomorrow. Maybe he should come off the bench for Lennon in the 60th minute?... I know you expect him to start, but he can be effective off the bench as well...
...and style points to you for an alliterative parallel exemplified in your post
most ratings for Lamela for this match are 5s and 6s, so he did not have a great game... let's see how he does tomorrow. Maybe he should come off the bench for Lennon in the 60th minute?... I know you expect him to start, but he can be effective off the bench as well...
Simple comes to mind.
I think he will if we're patient.
We've paid for the potential so I don't see the problem with remaining patient, certainly up until now anyway. His circumstances are different to the ones you've listed as well. New country, doesn't speak the language and was injured for most of last season, which has been stated repeatedly
We've paid for the potential so I don't see the problem with remaining patient, certainly up until now anyway. His circumstances are different to the ones you've listed as well. New country, doesn't speak the language and was injured for most of last season, which has been stated repeatedly
Equally although injured for a good part of last season, he was certainly training for part of it - and played a couple of games - plus would have had plenty of time to study videos of PL games, showing him how hard and physical it can be versus the Italien league so he should have had some time aclimatising last season - this season would not have been such a step up as someone coming to the PL brand new a couple of months ago.
So coming into this season fit and partly aclimatised, I would expect to see somethng from Lamela - but all I have seen have been glimpses, and most of the glimpses have been in cup/EL games against lesser opposition, which means he does need to step up to the PL standard or we have another Sergei Rebrov, Gio Dos Santos type issue - great in foreign leagues but not in PL matches which are fast phsical and sometimes 3 times a week.
I get all that, but until the 'team' are playing with more consistency, in terms of Pochettino's style, I don't see the point in being overly critical at this stage. Forget last season.
For instance, if we keep up what we saw on Sunday for the majority of the season and Lamela is still flattering to deceive in such a framework/structure I'd be getting critical as well.
All I'm saying is lets see how we continue, as a team - far more important at this juncture anyway, before we scrutinize Lamela's performances too intensely.
For instance, if we keep up what we saw on Sunday for the majority of the season and Lamela is still flattering to deceive in such a framework/structure I'd be getting critical as well.
All I'm saying is lets see how we continue, as a team - far more important at this juncture anyway, before we scrutinize Lamela's performances too intensely.
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We simply see it differently then I guess. Lamela made mistakes trying, Lennon was just lazy as he has been been for most of his career. He shadows people from a distance but rarely tackles or wins the ball. His influence of games in terms of involvement is about as minimal as is possible for a EPL player, and his end product is nowhere near good enough to put up with the negatives I have just mentioned.
I gave him credit for how he played against Everton, but that game just proves what he doesn't do habitually. Against Chelsea he put in a half decent cross, cost us a goal, and then went awol. That is just not good enough.
Lamela gave us much more in that game, and that shouldn't be the case when comparing a 22yo in his second season, and a 27yo with nine years experience.
So it's not just about the fact that I believe Lamela is providing more already, it's about how much more he could provide, if like Bale, we give him time and good coaching. Undoubtedly more than Lennon.
Agre with the team being more important - just a tad disappointed that against Everton, probably our best performance this season and the best by a number of players, I didn't see Lamela's performance being much different to that in other games. Might be boring on the subject but he does need to have a few blinders (in the right way) in PL and play at a generally higher level of perfornance than he has for the team overall to improve.
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I think you are being deliberately over simplistic in order to make a very bogus case.
You know it isn't that black and white. When we bought Bale for 10m (5+5) from Southampton would we have said that he was 10 times better than Lennon at 1m for the first 3 years of his time with us ?
The circumstances of transfers can vary massively and this dictates a price.
Was 26m a fair rate for Lamela, given al the circumstances, his age, his contract, his performances to date, his potential to improve and increase and reach current market values ?
I'd say it was on the expensive side for sure, but I can understand it in a maker place when Bale had just scored 6 goals more aged 24/25 and had been valued at 90m.
No one would argue that Lennon has been great value for his original 1m fee. But has he been value for his salary for 9 years ?
If Lamela does fulfil some of that potential and we make 20m form him, we can buy 20 Lennons. Part of our financial model is speculating on the transfer market. I have more problem with paying 6m + wages for a player who will not improve the first at all, has no potential to improve in ability or value and his skilset is replicated in the development group.
