Pochettino responds when asked if Spurs lack unpredictability, tempers expectations for Erik Lamela

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Tottenham Hotspur drew 1-1 with West Bromwich Albion on Saturday afternoon.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino has told The Telegraph that he doesn’t think Spurs necessarily needed an ‘unpredictable’ player – such as Erik Lamela – against West Bromwich Albion.

Spurs went into Saturday’s game against West Brom having beaten Borussia Dortmund 2-1 in midweek, bouncing back from the 2-0 defeat to Arsenal in the North London derby, with many expecting them to beat West Brom easily.

The Baggies had sacked manager Tony Pulis just days earlier, but caretaker boss Gary Megson was handed a shock lead at Wembley Stadium when Salomon Rondon capitalised on slack defending from Davinson Sanchez to roll West Brom into a lead.

West Brom unsurprisingly sat back and attempted to soak up the pressure, but were eventually undone in the second half, with Harry Kane turning home Dele Alli’s cross for the equaliser.

Spurs pressed for the winner, but were left disappointed as they were held to a 1-1 draw, with Tottenham now sitting 13 points behind league leaders Manchester City.

Breaking down the likes of Burnley, Swansea City, Crystal Palace and now West Brom at Wembley Stadium has been difficult for Spurs this season, scoring just three goals across those games, with some feeling Pochettino lacks an ‘unpredictable’ attacking player.

After Saturday’s draw, Pochettino was asked whether he felt Erik Lamela could have made the difference for Spurs, but he told The Telegraph that having been out for a year, the Argentinian wasn’t exactly the focus, adding that he was happy with the performance but not the missed chances, suggesting he doesn’t think Spurs lack unpredictability.

“It was not about Lamela today, he has been not playing for a year,” said Pochettino. “I am happy with the performance but not happy because we dropped two points and we weren’t clinical in front of goal,” he added.

Lamela would certainly provide some extra quality for the Spurs attack when fully fit, but having only recently played Under-23 games after a lengthy lay-off, Pochettino seemingly isn’t counting on him to make a game-changing impact for Tottenham just yet.