The Tottenham Hotspur player did not get a single minute of action for his country despite their struggles.
The international break is the bugbear of many a football fan, but Tottenham Hotspur supporters could be forgiven for wondering why on earth one of their players was forced to travel halfway around the world just to sit on the substitutes’ bench for 180 minutes of football.
That is what happened to Spurs winger Erik Lamela, who ultimately had a watching brief for the World Cup qualifying matches against Peru and Paraguay.
The 24-year-old can feel even more aggrieved given that his country could only pick up one point from the two matches. However Tottenham fans will be left wondering if it would not have been better simply to leave him at home and allow him to train with Mauricio Pochettino.
Of course we all know how international football works, but it is no less frustrating to see Lamela clock up the air miles only to get nowhere near the pitch and head back to White Hart Lane feeling more than a little jetlagged.
He will be used to it, yet while many Tottenham players had a major role for their countries over the last few days, Lamela would have been better off staying in London.
After all, a fit and fresh player would have gone down a treat against West Bromwich Albion this weekend.
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