Sun 14 October 2018, 10:19
Tottenham HotspurErik Lamela believes starting from "day one" in July has been an influence on his impressive form at the start of this campaign.
Having missed the 2017 pre-season period and the opening months of last term as he recovered from a hip injury, the energetic midfielder is reaping the benefit of being with the squad from the very start of the summer programme this time around.
He quickly shook off the setback of a short-term muscle problem sustained on our US tour and has been a hard-working contributor to many of our games this season. His current purple patch has seen him find the net four times in his last six appearances while his fierce competitive nature and pressing set such a positive the tone for the team.
The Argentine international is now hoping to maintain these performances as we continue to battle on all fronts.
“I’m happy because I’m feeling good and I’m featuring in lots of games,” Erik explained. “I’m happy to be playing and I’m enjoying it.
“The difference is that I started this season at the start of the summer while last year at this stage I was still recovering from my hip surgery.
“I started last season in November (he returned at Leicester on 28 November). At the beginning I was still having a few problems, which is normal when you come back from surgery, but now I feel more comfortable.
“It’s always tough when you miss the pre-season but I also felt good last season. This season I’ve started from the beginning and that’s the difference.”
Erik's numbers...
2013 - Erik joined us from Roma.
161 - Erik's appearances in all competitions.
25 - after returning from injury, Erik featured in all remaining 25 Premier League games last season.
23 - caps for Argentina (three goals).
4 - four goals in his last six matches.
23/10/14 - it's almost four years since Erik's famous 'Rabona' goal against Asteras Tripolis.
Erik has certainly contributed as we’ve equalled our best start after eight games of a Premier League season with 18 points and won six of the first eight for the first time.
Cardiff made it tough at Wembley last week as we racked up win number six by the only goal. “It’s important now to win, to get the points,” added Erik, who has now reached 161 appearances in all competitions for us.
“In the past few seasons, we’ve always done well in the middle of the season. Now, we’re two points behind the leaders and that’s good because we know we can play much better. That’s positive.”
