da dobrowin： The street parties and lavish celebrations in the Islington area have entered into their second week and as Arsenal fans continue to be gripped by ‘Mesut Ozil fever’ many are questioning where will it end? I am told confidently that there are already plans to co ordinate the joint Liverpool-Arsenal open top bus parade for later this week to commemorate both sides’ contributions to the Premier League this season. Are they taking it too far?
da pinnacle： Clearly Arsenal fans need to get a grip, but surely it is time for a Tottenham reality check too?
Arsenal fans continue to get excited about a player that if we are all honest they don’t particularly need. Undoubtedly a world-class addition to any side, but was he really a priority? When you look at the Arsenal squad, a striker, defensive midfielder and centre half all come higher up on a list of necessary signings. As good as Ozil is, he isn’t a signing that Spurs fans should be ultimately that concerned about going forward, the Gunners are merely papering over cracks and if the North London Derby was anything to go by, they will come unstuck pretty soon.
I don’t know whether it is still the hangover from derby day defeat or the transfer window usurpation of Ozil, but Spurs fans have been decidedly quiet this last week. Probably drowned out by the clamour of their near neighbours, surely Spurs have much more to be excited about?
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Early season form has been dominated by crisp unadventurous passing and defensive solidity and this shouldn’t exactly be surprising considering Spurs possess three of the best defensive midfielder on the continent. That being said it has plain to see so far that they have been missing that all-important link to unleash the scoring potential of Roberto Soldado. Even against Dinamo Tbilisi he was woefully isolated, and for a £26million frontman this just cannot happen.
The form of both Moussa Dembele and Gylfi Sigurdsson has been somewhat questionable, with the former still looking in some discomfort from a long-term niggling hip injury. Sigurdsson on the other hand looks totally unsuited to the way Villas-Boas is trying to play, not the best wide man but hardly offering dynamism in the middle of the park either. The Icelander is potentially a quality footballer, but I can see him being a necessary casualty of the regime going forward.
Will the new boys have an impact?
I believe the acquisitions of Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela are the ones to be excited about as Spurs fans above all others. Eriksen is arguably the steal of the window at just over £10m. Adept in the number 10 role, Eriksen will no doubt excel at providing that craft and guile to unlock the oppositions defences. 10 goals and 17 assists last year is a testament to his influence on former club Ajax and he will no doubt continue such form in North London in the future. My preference would be to see someone like Eriksen fight it out with Lewis Holtby for that number 10 berth in the next few weeks.
Erik Lamela is a totally different prospect to Eriksen, but should by no means be greeted with any less excitement. A club record fee is one thing, but Lamela currently represents arguably the most talented young Argentine from a crop of superstars in South America. The 21 year old was a product of the River Plate academy and has since gone on to score 21 goals for Roma and already achieved 3 caps for his country.
Fans will already have seen glimpses of what he is about during his cameo against Arsenal last time out; Lamela will offer Spurs flair and incision from wide areas to make the memory of Gareth Bale a faint one. £30m for a 21 year old may seem steep, but if his admirers are anything to go by he could well turn into a star of both the Premier League and continent going forward.
The Norwich game represents a second dawn for Spurs this season, finally Villas-Boas has all the reinforcements that he has craved. Will Spurs finally announce their intent this coming weekend?
It is easy for fans to be embroiled in the furore of their near neighbours, but the reality is Spurs have every bit as much reason if not more to be optimistic.
Are you excited about the impact of Lamela and Eriksen?
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