Tottenham's Erik Lamela ready for the fight and fire of yet another crucial Stamford Bridge clash

The meeting between Chelsea and Spurs could determine the race for the top four. Two years on after the 'Battle of the Bridge', Lamela is relishing the prospect of another fierce London derby

Erik Lamela is delighted to be back playing football again after more than a year out of the game (Getty)

If so many of the remaining doubts regarding Tottenham Hotspur revolve around winning big away games to make that final leap, you wouldn’t guess it from the way Erik Lamela talks about them. “Honestly, yes,” the Argentine attacker enthuses, when asked whether he most enjoys matches like his side’s trip to Chelsea this Sunday. “Because I like to play with intensity, when the game is alive. I really enjoy that.

“There’s no pressure. It’s a football game. I enjoy the game, it’s not about the pressure.”

There’s certainly not as much pressure on Spurs as there was in April 2016, for that infamous Stamford Bridge fixture that frames Sunday’s game. Mauricio Pochettino’s side needed to win that match to prevent Leicester City winning the title, and went ahead 2-0, only to lose the lead while losing their heads.

It was a 2-2 draw and performance still seen as someway indicative of Spurs’ nearly-there status, but Lamela’s thoughts on it – a match he describes with no little understatement as “a little bit emotional” – are entirely indicative of his own attitude.

The 26-year-old was involved in one of the many, many flashpoints from that match, when he trod on Cesc Fabregas’ hand.

“Yeah, a lot of things went on in that game but that’s football. People talk about that as a classic game because of all the naughty stuff?! Yes. That game was a little bit emotional. It was a very big game for us.

“I didn’t see [Fabregas]. I was just walking. I stepped on his hand but it’s football, no? It can happen. Sometimes defenders kick me without the ball and I’m not saying anything and no-one sees. It’s part of the game.

“What happened in the game stays on the pitch. Afterwards, everything is finished. In the game, you do everything to try to win. Sometimes, in a tackle, you want to take the ball but you arrive one second too late and it’s a big foul but you want to try to get the ball. This happens when the game is very intense, especially in a derby. It happens.”

‘There’s no pressure. It’s a football game. I enjoy the game, it’s not about the pressure’ (Getty)

It also happens to be the case Lamela has been involved in many intense derbies, like when the bus of his River Plate squad had all of its windows smashed on the way to a Super Clasico with Boca Juniors.

“Yes, in Argentina, the derby is different! Outside the pitch, it’s different. You have see it to realise it. It’s more than just one game. You have to win. If not, you are the worst. It’s too much. It’s not balanced.

“Boca-River, yes, it’s like this, but also here. And in Italy. All the supporters want to win the derby. It’s the most important game of the season. For us, yes, of course it’s important but every game is important. If we win the derby and then we don’t win the next one, it means the same, no?”

That puts what happened at Stamford Bridge in April 2016 into perspective, but so do Lamela’s personal circumstances. This is a player who has only recently returned to action to add his energetic ingenuity to Spurs’ attack, after over a year out with a hip injury. A match that gets a bit physical barely matters when you’re just content to touch a ball again.

The Argentine is back in contention after a length injury spell (Getty)

“When I was injured my motivation was to come back to play football again, to touch the ball. I was so happy just training. After my long injury I really enjoy everything much more than before.”

Lamela also admits that he doesn’t endure the pain of setbacks or defeats in the way he used to either.

“I was like that, but I have changed. I tried to, for my girlfriend and the people that are close to me, because they are not involved in the game. We can lose, it’s football. Before, I was angry after games, especially if I didn’t play well. But I understand that if you lose, you lose. The important thing is to put everything on the pitch.

“I only put my mind on the pitch, like I do always. Once the game starts, you are just focused on the game. And what you need to do.”

Lamela and his teammates will be looking for a first win at Stamford Bridge in 28 years (Getty)

That is what he intends to do now, and he hasn’t completely ruled out making the World Cup, even though Lamela admits there has been no contact as yet with Argentina manager Jorge Sampaoli.

There is also the possibility that Sunday’s match could mean everything to Spurs’ season. If they win at Stamford Bridge for the first time in 28 years, it will put eight points between Tottenham and Chelsea, and effectively end the race for the top four. Lamela insists there is no desire for revenge from 2016, but it would be some reward for finally winning there.

“We learned that we always have to push to win. This is the only thing in football and we want that more and more. We now have a great opportunity in front of us.”