OPINION
Tottenham Hotspur will face their toughest test of the season when they take on Premier League champions Manchester City at Wembley Stadium on Monday night.
With that in mind, Mauricio Pochettino must only select his most in form players against Pep Guardiola’s side. That means a return to the starting line up for winger Erik Lamela.
The Argentina international was inexplicably left out of the team’s Champions League draw with Tottenham Hotspur in mid week, and Pochettino must not continue with his bizarre aversion to the 26-year-old.
Lamela has arguably been Spurs’s best player so far this season, and has done so from limited game time. He’s only played 430 minutes of football in nine games this term. That works out as about 48 minutes a match.
That’s simply not enough for a player of Lamela’s obvious quality. The former Roma man, on a reported £105,000-per-week [Source: Spotrac], has looked superb when he has featured this campaign.
The Argentinian has scored five goals in his nine games this year, averaging out at a goal every 86 minutes – better than a goal a game ratio.
Still you get the sense that Pochettino doesn’t fully trust him, which was confirmed by his senseless decision to drop Lamela against PSV.
Spurs missed Lamela’s creativity and incisiveness against the Dutch side, and were ultimately punished as a result.
City will be fielding a full strength side packed with world class players. Pochettino must put out his best side, and Lamela undoubtedly belongs in that team on current form.
Lamela will give Benjamin Mendy a serious examination at left back, and the goalscoring threat he possesses is desperately needed if Tottenham are going to get anything from this game.