Through
Tottenham times of boom and bust the combative Argentinian has never held back: ‘It’s the way I play football’
Somehow, you feel Érik Lamela doth protest a little too much. Since the
Premier League restarted last month, no player has committed fouls at a higher rate than the Argentinian. It’s an indication not just of Lamela’s snappy, combative style, but the renewed vigour and aggression Tottenham have shown of late under José Mourinho. Inform Lamela of this statistic, however, and he immediately puts on the same wounded, cherubic expression you suspect he tries on referees after scything down an opponent with a brutal reducer.
“It’s the way I play
Football,” he shrugs. “Too many times it’s not even a foul, but they [the referees] are giving fouls. I get angry sometimes. But it’s not something I’m trying to do. It’s just the way I train, and how I play.”