Ongoing injuries have plagued most of Erik Lamela’s career at Tottenham. A strong run of promising games near the start of the season gave the Argentine an opportunity to show why he was considered one of the most promising talents at Spurs when he first came to the Premier League.
The 27-year-old featured in his first game since October recently, coming on as a substitute against Norwich in late December. Before that, Lamela had started in seven league games for Spurs, claiming two goals and one assist. Coming on as a substitute, Lamela had his first opportunity to play under Jose Mourinho, who joined as Spurs manager in mid-November.
The attacking positions of the Tottenham squad are not the problematic area at the moment, so Lamela may have a hard time earning a solid spot in the starting team, especially with Mourinho reluctant to change too much in the first team from game to game. Sessegnon, Lucas and Lo Celso are being granted a chance to shine by Mourinho, so there is not a huge amount of room for Lamela to fit in.
However, since Son picked up a straight red card against Chelsea, the players mentioned above have been called upon regularly throughout the festive period and Lamela may start to be phased into action while the others rest up.
You get the impression that the upcoming FA Cup fixtures would be the perfect opportunity to start Lamela, with his current injury worries hopefully behind him. Spurs face Middlesbrough on Sunday in the 3rd round of the competition – a competition that Mourinho may be looking to be victorious in.
Hard work and determination has meant that Lamela has dipped in and out of contention for a starting place throughout his six-year spell at Tottenham. The 27-year-old displays evident technical ability and confidence and would likely be a key member of the squad if not so unlucky with injuries. Lamela will be hoping that Mourinho has picked up on this and he will continue to fight for a starting place within the team.
