Tottenham already have Christian Eriksen’s replacement in the squad
Tottenham fans are understandably nervous about Christian Eriksen’s health. If he’s forced to miss significant time, Erik Lamela can replace him.
The most recent news about Christian Eriksen’s abdominal injury isn’t good. Concerns that it good be a “chronic” condition have Spurs fans panicking about a potential replacement. The truth is Mauricio Pochettino already has another talented No. 10 in his squad.
That man is Erik Lamela. The talented Argentine arrived in North London with massive expectations. Many fans expected him to develop into the next Gareth Bale. Clearly, that hasn’t happened. However, Lamela is playing the best football of his Spurs career at the moment.
There’s a valid argument to be made that he fits Pochettino’s idea of a perfect No. 10 better than Eriksen. His work rate really sets him apart from his Danish teammate. We’re not saying that Lamela is a better player than Eriksen, but we are suggesting he might be a better fit for the way Pochettino wants his squad to play.
The emergence of Lucas Moura and Heung-Min Son as legitimate wide players in the starting XI also works in Lamela’s favour. It’s a simple matter of space. Defenders have to stay close to Lucas and Son no matter how close to the touch-line they get. That width creates a ton of space in the middle for a player like Lamela to take advantage of. Whereas Eriksen likes to create via the pass, Lamela is more than willing to take players on via the dribble.
None of this means that Eriksen’s recovery isn’t important. Obviously Tottenham need to accrue as much attacking talent as possible. There’s no reason to think he and Lamela cannot play together in a really strong Spurs lineup.
It’s also fair to question whether or not Lamela can stay healthy enough to be relied upon. He’s missed a ton of time during his Tottenham career due to a variety of mysterious ailments. There’s no way Spurs can count on him to stay healthy for a full season. If Eriksen is going to miss a lot of time, Tottenham still need to move for an additional No. 10 in January.
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Let’s be clear, Eriksen is a hugely important player for Tottenham. Nothing about this piece is designed to contradict that idea. The point here is that it’s entirely possible that Lamela is better suited to play as Pochettino’s No. 10. If he can stay healthy and increase his fitness, he may thrive in the Dane’s absence.