Erik Lamela can provide qualities in the final third which Tottenham have been missing, says Mauricio Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino says Erik Lamela can give Tottenham Hotspur the “one v one individual quality” that the team sometimes requires to break down deep opposition, when he eventually returns to play. The Spurs boss still could not put an exact date on when his Argentine compatriot will come back after over a year out with a hip injury, stating that the player needs to feel he’s “fully recovered”, but spoke about the specific qualities he will restore to the side.

The issue has been one of the undercurrents to Pochettino’s overarching development of the side. Spurs are no longer just the relentless high-pressing side they were in their first title challenge of 2015-16, when they would occasionally “crash” – as the manager put it – into stubborn defensives, as he has worked hard to add more variety and flexibility to their game. Pochettino has sought to ensure all players could perform in two positions, and they can now be as counter-attacking as they can proactive, having also added the aerial option of Fernando Llorente up front. One of the few facets missing has been a bit of unpredictability in tight games, but the manager feels Lamela can offer that.

“If we're playing against teams like [Crystal] Palace, Swansea [City] or Burnley that are playing a lot deeper, you don't need pace you need quality, good individual quality, one v one,” Pochettino said. “Like Lamela, that can break one v one, because every single action is building, building, building.

“If you have pace you can be stopped with the wall and you crash. You need good quality and capacity to drive, an individual like Lamela can bring that quality to the team.

“To be dynamic, or to have players with high tempo, doesn't mean that they have to run fast. If we wanted players to run fast we'd sign Usain Bolt or these types of players. That is different. What I wanted to say was that we needed to increase our tempos within the games, not players with more pace.

“Sometimes we need more capacity like we talked before players that have the capacity that when the players are deeper they have the ability to beat the opponent in a short space. It's difficult.”

Asked whether Lamela could come in for the weekend against a West Brom side who are expected to sit deep themselves, Pochettino said: “He needs to feel that he's fully recovered. He needs to feel that he is available again, I think that it is his feeling [he needs] now. At the moment he is training again, the other day he played 60 minutes [for the under-23s] but he still has some doubts that make him to be cautious about the step up, to be available again for us.”

Pochettino meanwhile indicated that 22-year-old Georges-Kevin N’Koudou has to develop more before he can fill that role.

“Yes, but we are waiting for him still. He is not... you know today he is not showing this condition to play. He needs to show more. But you know if a player is not involved too much it's because we believe that they need to show more to deserve to play.”