Mauricio Pochettino would surely have called on the international at some point during the goalless draw, if he’d have been available.
Tottenham Hotspur’s 0-0 draw against Sunderland was frustrating for a number of reasons, not least for the missed opportunity to make up the large gap between themselves and Premier League leaders Chelsea, who drew at Liverpool.
The nature of the game against Sunderland, with the home team defending en masse and offering little going forward, saw Spurs frustrated time and time again as they passed the ball outside the packed Black Cats box.
And it was the sort of match where Erik Lamela’s absence through injury was really felt.
Tottenham’s Erik Lamela reacts
Tottenham are now entering their fourth month without the 24-year-old, who was such an important part of Mauricio Pochettino’s defensive and attacking success last season.
Lamela had a mixed start to this campaign, but with Spurs struggling to break down a resilient defence, he would have offered a much more encouraging option from the bench than committed but misfiring striker Vincent Janssen or Moussa Sissoko, his rival on the right wing.
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Indeed, though the Frenchman has had a couple of promising moments that led to goals in recent games, Sissoko’s influence on games works best when there is space to run into, where he can use his pace and direct running to burst past defences.
Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino speaks to Moussa Sissoko as he prepares to come on as a substitute
There was no such space against Sunderland, and Tottenham would have benefitted from the goal threat, close control in tight space and link up play that their Argentine talent would have brought.
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In reality, Lamela may struggle to make a significant return at all this season, with the hip injury he has been out for showing little signs of improving and the player likely needing a few weeks to get match fit even if he shakes off the problem.
And that could very much be to the detriment of the team’s ambition in each of the competitions it is fighting for.
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