Lamela love

Last season was a season to forget for Eric Lamela. The Argentine arrived at Tottenham in a fee believed to be around the £30m mark from Roma, but like many of the London club's signings was a huge flop. Under fellow Argentine Manuel Pochettino, Lamela will be looking to rectify the season before and show why there was such a hype surrounding his talent.

Eric Lamela was signed during the Andre Villas Boas reign using the transfer kitty raised from the world record transfer sale of star man Gareth Bale to Real Madrid. The signing of Eric Lamela however, was misguided. The forward was poorly signed under the influence of technical director Franco Baldini and did not suit the ideas that Villas Boas had in mind, that twinned with the injury problems Lamela had this year made Lamela an expensive flop.

Lamela played in a 4-3-3 at Roma as a wide forward in such a formation and was hugely successful there, playing his best football and earning his title as one of the brightest talents in Europe. Tottenham signed a wide, south american forward expecting him to be able to adapt to the defensive English game as a winger. In England as a winger, tracking back and helping the full back is a must, something Lamela has never had to do previously in his career. At Roma, Lamela had very little defence responsibilities; it was up to him to be a creative offensive player on the counter attack out wide.

Can he prove his worth this year? 

Franco Baldini's previous time at Roma meant he knew what Lamela was capable of but, he did not suit the ideas Villas Boas and Sherwood wanted to implement. However, under Pochettino, the attacker could finally thrive. Pochettino's tactics of high pressing allows Lamela to remain further up the field and will be expected to fulfil a similar role that Lallana produced at Southampton, allowing Lamela to produce his best, driving at the fullback with his fast pace and touch tight dribbling. Of course Lamela will need to work on the defensive side of his game, although a few extra hours down the training ground could see that rectified.

Pochettino has already made it clear that Tottenham aren't going to go on a spending spree like they did last summer and are going to use the resources they already have available, including previous fringe players like Lamela and Capoue as well as utilising the impressive youth system at White Hart Lane. In Tottenham's first pre season fixture against Toronto FC, captained by former fan favourite Jermain Defoe, Lamela grabbed a brace.

An Argentine influence could be what Lamela needs

Pochettino has hailed the Argentine who narrowly missed out on Sabella's world cup squad, giving the impression Lamela will feature heavily. He said: "We expect a lot from him, he’s an unbelievable player. He needs to show us that he deserves to play, but at the moment we are happy with his performance." 

Lamela will be desperate to put last season behind him and under new manager Pochettino, Spurs fans could finally see the real Lamela. Pochettino will need to use a philosophy that plays to Lamela's strengths and if he can do that, then Pochettino will reap the rewards. It's time for Lamela to show value for money...