POCH PRAISES HIS FORGOTTEN MAN

MAURICIO POCHETTINO has backed Erik Lamela to reach a ‘new level’ following the return from his injury hell. Argentine Lamela scored his first goal since September 2016 — 504 days ago — to see off League Two Newport and book Tottenham a trip to Rochdale in the FA Cup fifth round. Lamela, 25, has battled back from hip problems which kept him out for more than a year but Pochettino is confident he can become a star in his side again. ‘It’s always important to feel the net for offensive players and for him to play 90 minutes,’ said the Spurs boss, whose side were gifted the lead by a Dan Butler own goal. ‘Erik’s an important player. More than one year out is never easy to come back from — to perform in the way he was before. ‘But he showed he loves football and loves to train. I think his mentality is fantastic. He will recover to his real level and more — to a new level. In tough moments you learn a lot.’ On facing Rochdale on their sandcovered pitch, Pochettino said: ‘I hear it’s not in the best condition but it’s like Newport. We need to learn from Newport. The conditions are for them, as well as us. I always prefer to focus on the game and see what happens next. ‘But it will be tough, the FA Cup is difficult. Look at this replay against a League Two team. It is another opportunity for different players to show their quality.’ Newport boss Michael Flynn said: ‘Nobody wants to be embarrassed or trounced. In the first 25 minutes, I thought we were the better team. But how they scored, I saw them practise that move in the warm-up… ‘Spurs are top six Premier League, in the Champions League, bringing on Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli, and I’m thinking, “Why can’t they have a night off, Mauricio? Get them ready for Arsenal (on Saturday)”.’