Have Some Faith in Erik

[walworthyid]

Our most talented player.

People have got to learn to play quick one-twos with him because he's always looking for 'em.

He's on a different level to most of our squad.

I gotta stop talking about him because it really upsets me how we're fucking this up with him.

This is what I have been saying for ages. His ability is his quick and incisive passing and movement. He is a thinking man's bale if you like. Rather than running 40 yards with the ball he is more likely to pass it and run 40 yards to get it back. The trouble is that he never gets it back so he tries too hard to do something with it. It is the same with Soldado and Eriksen. Our players have not yet learned to play without the ball, to move it quickly and look for the return. If you watch young carroll that is exactly what he tries to do; he gets it, he passes it and moves to ger it back. If Lamela was playing for pool or the scum he would be a revelation.

 

[TheGreenLily]

This is what I have been saying for ages. His ability is his quick and incisive passing and movement. He is a thinking man's bale if you like. Rather than running 40 yards with the ball he is more likely to pass it and run 40 yards to get it back. The trouble is that he never gets it back so he tries too hard to do something with it. It is the same with Soldado and Eriksen. Our players have not yet learned to play without the ball, to move it quickly and look for the return. If you watch young carroll that is exactly what he tries to do; he gets it, he passes it and moves to ger it back. If Lamela was playing for pool or the scum he would be a revelation.

I very much doubt we practice one touch football on the training pitch... as it would soon show up the shit players and those without a brain in not time. But, we have to do it or the younger ones will never learn.

 

[DFF]

They werent when they were young.

That doesn't invalidate what I said. They started when they were young. It doesn't happen overnight. If you start in your early twenties, like both Bale and Ronaldo did, you will progress over time.

 

[Flashspur]

His involvement vs West Brom. The video will probably end up being removed as they usually are for league games.

I have to laugh at this. The number of times he played a pass and ran into space and was completley ignored. FFS he is so much more quick witted than a lot of the players we have on the park at the moment.

What happened to pass and run into space. Erik is doing it. Why arent the others?

Thanks for posting.

 

[jezz]

That doesn't invalidate what I said. They started when they were young. It doesn't happen overnight. If you start in your early twenties, like both Bale and Ronaldo did, you will progress over time.

And you know he isnt in the gym because?

 

[DFF]

And you know he isnt in the gym because?

The same can be said of the contrary. Besides, I didn't say he wasn't. I was simply making an observation. Not every comment around here has to be taken in an accusatory tone.

 

[King of Otters]

They're not getting the imbalance of view demonstrated by SCers because he cost 30m. The guy was woeful in most of his performances so far.

You keep saying this but the support for Lamela has nothing to do with the price tag, it's because the kid is a natural footballer, probably the only one we have. Your insistence on using his price tag as a stick to beat him with is pathetic quite frankly.

 

[Mullers]

Agree with OP but I think in a year or two I think unfortunately he will be gone. If Tim is saying there isn't too much to choose from him and other English talent, then it doesn't fill me with confidence that he will get used in the right way.

 

[Flashspur]

Is Kendall an alias for alfiespurs? Only explanation for this madness. Lamela was one of the only people who did well today.

just between you and me, kendall has issues mate...Lamela issues

 

[highscore]

As someone stated above, every single time he lays the ball off he makes a quick, intelligent run into space. If more of our players did that we would create a lot more chances.

I really think it's time we gave him an extended run in the team.

 

[TheGreenLily]

I have to laugh at this. The number of times he played a pass and ran into space and was completley ignored. FFS he is so much more quick witted than a lot of the players we have on the park at the moment.

What happened to pass and run into space. Erik is doing it. Why arent the others?

Thanks for posting.

Because a lot of players are as thick as shit, this list includes Walker, Rose, Siggy, Dembele, Townsend, Lennon, Defoe. I know some didn;t play yesterday, but to be honest it is always the same old faces.

The coaching is obviously shit, and we clearly don't practice one touch football at all.

Thinking about, no wonder AVB played Slow possession football, it is the only type of football a lot of our players can cope with.

 

[YiddoInPoland]

If people can't see the natural ability he has and that some of his "deficiencies" in his play is mainly down to other players we have not understanding how to be a bit quicker in thought and speed up the play then they shouldn't be watching football at this level. The funny thing for all our "attacking" players yesterday, this guy is geared to moving the ball forward, that's all he did for 20 minutes but for 70 of it he was getting splinters, it was madness.

I was concerned by AVB's miss management of him, and now i am even more concerned with TS and his ability to see past youth products or a British core (because the national team is so successful) that he has worked with namely Townsend.

Townsend is a good player, and i don't want be down on the kid, but he will not be at this Lamela's level IMO (i stress in my opinion), because he is the epitome of the sort of players England produces, fast, strong but light in the technical aspect of the game, luckily he is young enough to be skilled in that area and he will come good i am sure, and i hope its for us but not at the expense of someone who is widely regarded as one of the brightest your talents in the world.

Lamala is a natural footballer, like VDV, like Glen Hoddle was, and he is someone we should look to build up confidence wise and build around because he has the potential to be a immense player if we start to play to his strengths which is moving the ball faster and pushing forward.

Is he currently perfect, no, he is a bit weak in the tackle, and likes a sneaky dive which hopefully we can get out of him because we all know what happened with Bale on that front, but i don't think its down to lack of strength but actually down to not being used to the slightly more aggressive physicality of the league here, and he will only get used to that by being on the pitch.

 

[thinktank]

If people can't see the natural ability he has and that some of his "deficiencies" in his play is mainly down to other players we have not understanding how to be a bit quicker in thought and speed up the play then they shouldn't be watching football at this level.

bingo

 

[E17yid]

I wish AVB had just treated him as he did Paulinho. Paulinho played average to shit for a few games but he stuck with him. Lamela needed this kind of faith early on and I really doubt he'll get a run of 5-8 games no matter how he plays.

I'd imagine he'll be starting against Stoke seeing how poor Chadli was, let's just hope he smashes it in that game and this forces Timmy to keep on picking him.

To be fair, Lamela has to step up as well. He just needs to grab a game by the scruff of the neck and show us what he's all about.

 

[thinktank]

I wish AVB had just treated him as he did Paulinho. Paulinho played average to shit for a few games but he stuck with him. Lamela needed this kind of faith early on and I really doubt he'll get a run of 5-8 games no matter how he plays.

I'd imagine he'll be starting against Stoke seeing how poor Chadli was, let's just hope he smashes it in that game and this forces Timmy to keep on picking him.

To be fair, Lamela has to step up as well. He just needs to grab a game by the scruff of the neck and show us what he's all about.

Like he did in europe and then got dropped for the next game (newcastle)?

Will never ever forgive AVB for that. Ever.

 

[walworthyid]

I very much doubt we practice one touch football on the training pitch... as it would soon show up the shit players and those without a brain in not time. But, we have to do it or the younger ones will never learn.

The point is that you don't need great players to play one touch. It takes the pressure off of individual players because what they have to do with the ball is simpler. It is far more difficult when you have to take more touches of the ball because the simple 5 yard pass is not on. It is a different type of skill that requires the whole team to do if it is to work.
It just takes time. It is a myth that English players are shit, they arent, they are just made to look shit by poor and outdated approaches to the game.

 

[TheGreenLily]

The point is that you don't need great players to play one touch. It takes the pressure off of individual players because what they have to do with the ball is simpler. It is far more difficult when you have to take more touches of the ball because the simple 5 yard pass is not on. It is a different type of skill that requires the whole team to do if it is to work.
It just takes time. It is a myth that English players are shit, they arent, they are just made to look shit by poor and outdated approaches to the game.

Whilst I agree with what you say, one touch football also requires a quick brain and practice, but more importantly it requires bloody movement and the right type of movement for it to be a success.

IT needs to be drilled and constantly drilled, just like taking free kick and penalty practice, it constantly has to be done to make it feel like second nature to a player.

IT is so so clear, that we are not doing this. Maybe TS, is changing this... Who knows, but the likes of Arsenal have be clearly been drilling this for years.

 

[E17yid]

Like he did in europe and then got dropped for the next game (newcastle)?

Will never ever forgive AVB for that. Ever.

Yep, was a bad decision by Andre that one.

What I would say though, in his defence, is that Sheriff are absolute dog shit. I still would have played him though, as you elluded to, it's about installing some confidence into the lad.

I read a post on here (sorry can't remember who it was) but they pointed out Lamela has yet be start a home league game. This is madness. It seems obvious to me that you would look to use our home games (especially against easier teams) to bed in our younger foreigners. Newcastle at home was a tough game but one he should have started.

 

[robin09]

This is what I have been saying for ages. His ability is his quick and incisive passing and movement. He is a thinking man's bale if you like. Rather than running 40 yards with the ball he is more likely to pass it and run 40 yards to get it back. The trouble is that he never gets it back so he tries too hard to do something with it. It is the same with Soldado and Eriksen. Our players have not yet learned to play without the ball, to move it quickly and look for the return. If you watch young carroll that is exactly what he tries to do; he gets it, he passes it and moves to ger it back. If Lamela was playing for pool or the scum he would be a revelation.

Look at Liverpool's goal against City yesterday and you see how stark the difference is between the way they play and the way we do.

Again, a good chunk of it is understanding, and these players simply don't have any chemistry yet. I'd have hoped that some of it could have been countered by good coaching, but it's taken us 3 months to get more than one attacker in the box when a winger is about to cross it.

So maybe expecting incisive movement off the ball and controlled one touch passing is asking for the moon on a stick at the moment.

 

[jonnyp]

If people can't see the natural ability he has and that some of his "deficiencies" in his play is mainly down to other players we have not understanding how to be a bit quicker in thought and speed up the play then they shouldn't be watching football at this level. The funny thing for all our "attacking" players yesterday, this guy is geared to moving the ball forward, that's all he did for 20 minutes but for 70 of it he was getting splinters, it was madness.

I was concerned by AVB's miss management of him, and now i am even more concerned with TS and his ability to see past youth products or a British core (because the national team is so successful) that he has worked with namely Townsend.

Townsend is a good player, and i don't want be down on the kid, but he will not be at this Lamela's level IMO (i stress in my opinion), because he is the epitome of the sort of players England produces, fast, strong but light in the technical aspect of the game, luckily he is young enough to be skilled in that area and he will come good i am sure, and i hope its for us but not at the expense of someone who is widely regarded as one of the brightest your talents in the world.

Lamala is a natural footballer, like VDV, like Glen Hoddle was, and he is someone we should look to build up confidence wise and build around because he has the potential to be a immense player if we start to play to his strengths which is moving the ball faster and pushing forward.

Is he currently perfect, no, he is a bit weak in the tackle, and likes a sneaky dive which hopefully we can get out of him because we all know what happened with Bale on that front, but i don't think its down to lack of strength but actually down to not being used to the slightly more aggressive physicality of the league here, and he will only get used to that by being on the pitch.

His defiencies so far have been poor first touch, poor passing, "dribbling" straight into players and losing possession over and over in almost every game he's played. Only a blind man could blame his team mates for those mistakes.

He got chances under AVB, so stop this myth of him being mismanaged. He was truly awful almost every time he got a chance - his touch was poor and he couldn't dribble a corpse in those matches.

People saying he's a "thinking man's" Bale, and will be better than Bale and on the level of Messi and C Ronaldo in a few years. Well, the less said about that the better I think.

Having said that, it's obvious that there's more in him than what he's shown so far and that he's struggling to adapt. But blaming AVB and his team mates is lazy and ignorant. I hope he comes good and plays well for us. No one wants a 30 mill pound failure.