Erik Lamela’s Sheriff awakening could prove pivotal for Tottenham

Erik Lamela finally appears to have found form at Spurs (Picture: Reuters) Sheriff Tiraspol at the Lane. We win, we qualify but we haven’t quite cemented top place.
Was it a great game? No. Was it a particularly satisfying performance? No. Well yes. Sort of. Depends what you expected before the game kicked off.
Every home game I expect this is the one where Spurs explode with swaggering bullish uber-aggressive football and smash the opposing side to bits. Except we don’t play like that.
We retain a ridiculously high rate of possession, playing the ball among ourselves all over the pitch aside from the opposition penalty area. It’s Spurs but it isn’t.
But then that’s been the story of our season and I’m now bored of having to repeat the same political party line about ‘gelling’ and ‘settling’. Not because I’ve lost faith or don’t believe it, but because the reality is we are waiting on players to awaken.
Slowly but surely, I’ll accept the not so sexy football for now as long as we continue to win and never look like struggling. Which has been us all season long.
What this game will be remembered for (more so than Jermain Defoe beating Martin Chivers European goal-scoring record) is Erik Lamela smiling. Smiling because he scored, but more importantly smiling because he performed admirably in a game that was crying out for a little bit of something extra.
Spurs lined up strongly, as per usual, even with all the changes and rested players. The most pivotal cosmetic on the starting eleven was the offensive midfield trio of Lamela, Eriksen and Sigurdsson. Footballers. Intelligent with deft control and the ability to craft and create but also to combine. Pass, move, inter-change. That sort of thing. We’ve lacked imagination up front. Sadly the first half was relatively unimaginative.

Erik Lamela could provide Spurs with a much-needed spark (Picture: AP)

It wasn’t until the second half when the threesome began to switch positionally, which allowed for more space for that spark we desperately needed to transcend from fantasy to reality. You can have all the possession in the world but it means very little if you’re stuck outside the box scratching your head. Yes, it feels so far removed from instinctive play at times that I don’t even have to dramatise my description.
When it flowed, it was far better. Andre Villas-Boas making the change that finally got us going. Our Argentine record signing full of determination and embracing some luck with a failed 1-2, finished coolly for the 1-0.
Lamela, now believing he was Ricky Villa, then waltzed through the Sheriff defence with silk touches until he was fouled and awarded a penalty. Which JD thumped into the roof of the net.
All smiles. Confidence, such a powerful instrumental tool.
Spurs far better overall. Quick precise passing movement. Does wonders in the final third. Sheriff scored. Brad might have done better. Spurs defence static. The finish from Isa acrobatic. Didn’t matter. Another win. No clean sheet but a massive night for Erik. His awakening.