Lamela

LukaCorluka

That system of overlapping full backs works well when you have players like Marcelo or Lahm but they're rare. Walker is decent at it but he's the only one at the moment that's willing to take the ball down the line. That's my criticism. We're rarely going to get opened up because we're crossing from deep which means we're not caught out of position much, but equally, we're not scoring either.

Chicken, but it's not just 1 performance though. He was also one of the bright sparks in the carling cup game v hull and the penalty miss clouded what was a decent performance from Lamela. So that's 2 games where he has impressed and like I say Townsend got his chance after 1 good Europa performance so why not Lamela? Sorry mate but who else deserves to start instead of him? I don't think Lennon does and Chadli is currently injured. Just give the guy a chance in the league.


Numbers, I agree.... Criminal to be keeping a guy we paid so much money for on the bench especially when he clearly has unreal talent and we need to exploit that.

chicken

I kind of agree (as I normally do with most of what you say) but Numbers is right, we spent £30 million on this guy. If players were in the team on merit alone, I'd agree with you but Soldado has been a mainstay with little justification. Clearly, he's in there because of his price tag, so why not Lamela? I would keep banging on about the virtues of sticking Townsend on the left and Lamela on the right but I've already been there on this thread. I just think if AVB is showing blind faith in Soldado and leaving a better striker on the bench then he needs to do the same with Lamela. Give the lad a deserved run out. You have to reward players for playing well otherwise the 'first team' get too comfortable. The team that played Everton isn't working for me. Mix it up, try new things.

Fridge / Don

You might not mean it to sound this way, but the main thing that stands out from your posts is that he should play because of his price tag.

I couldn’t care less who cost the most; I would pick players on merit, or from what I see from my own eyes. And what I notice is this, Siggy could have 4 games on the trot, followed by a low key one, and all of a sudden the £7.5m buy isn’t good enough. Then Lemala has about 4 poor games (some really poor), followed by one average game versus Hull in the cup, followed by a MotM performance versus Sheriff, and all of a sudden he’s a must starter – based on the fact we paid £30m for him. The team should never ever be picked in order of player value.

And if we are picking the team on Europa League performances then why have I not seen the same persistence in wanting Defoe to start in every league game, after all; he is by far our top goalscorer this season because of the EL.

I don’t mind posters having different opinions in who should or shouldn’t play (that is natural) but I just find inconsistencies in the reasoning a little frustrating.

For example, you cannot claim:

Player A done well in the EL, but its only Team X, Team Y and Team Z – so stick by £26m new signing

Yet,

Player B done well against Team X, Team Y and Team Z so he must start – because he cost £30m.

I do not want a pecking order based on value.

Chicken - I understand where you are coming from but nobody in our team is setting the Premiership alight in the final third of the field so why not go with a front three of Townsend - LW Soldao - S - Lamela - RW with Eriksen sat in the hole dictating our play with more pace & tempo and a sense of urgency when we pass & move ?

Numbers,

Without making this sound like a dig at the manager, I dont think the creative side is the player’s fault – it seems more of a tactical problem – and I don’t think it matters who the front 3 are, we still won’t create.

I think the problem is (and I think Messiah said it the other day), posters on here have been claiming teams are parking the bus on us, when this simply isn’t true. What seems to be happening is (and yesterday was no different) we seem so intent on passing the ball around along the half way line, forward 10 yards, then back 20 yards, that when we do go to try and split the defence the opposition already have their two banks of four in place – that’s not parking the bus – it’s just good organisation.

To be honest, I don’t mind if Lamela does get the nod, I just find the reasoning a bit inconsistent. If performances in the EL count, then where are all the Defoe articles? And I find the “playing players in order of how much we paid for them” really embarrassing, and I know you 3 (fridge, Don and Numbers) are better than that.

PS. I was pleased for Don when Lamela scored as I knew he would be all over that goal (and the performance) on these boards today.

As playground as it sounds, I think we all love it when a player or tactic we have been praising comes off, so we can gloat about it. So fair play Don, as I know we’ve had a few debates about Lamela already..

Chicken

That's precisely my point. I'm not judging him on his price tag but AVB is when he chooses Soldado over Defoe. All I want is consistency. If he plays Soldado for no reason other than reputation, the same has to apply to Lamela. I don't necessarily agree with it but treat everyone the same i say.

Chicken - I cannot stand our pedestrian build up play it is like watching Boris Spasky playing Bobby Fisher in chess back in the 70's

I want us to pick our team on merit and not selecting them on their price tags but at the moment who really does deserve to play LW - S - RW for us at Spurs possibly only Townsend yet I do feel sorry for Soldado & Defoe because they will score if you give them a good service !!

Chicken, I understand your reasoning mate and I know it sounds like I'm just basing my views on price tag alone but I'm just talking from someone that has seen Lamela a good 6 or 7 times before we signed him and know he can destroy defences. I'm just saying at this moment in time we are hardly smashing teams to pieces in terms of scoring so why not give him probably our most gifted player a chance to start? I didn't really need to boast about last nights performance mate, I knew the guy has it in him and even more. Last night was nothing compared to a few games I have seen him in a Roma shirt mate

I'm still not convinced with the hype that surrounds Townsend, no end product with all his useless runs or shooting wildly. I'll start with Lennon and Lamela and please AVB, Holtby have no business as a starter....Erikseen any day for me.