One player that has shown others just how to get back in the good books of Jose Mourinho is Tanguy Ndombele.
The Frenchman joined the Lilywhites from Lyon last summer as they looked to build on their run to the final of the Champions League in 2019.
His first season was a tough one for him and for the club which cost Mauricio Pochettino his job.
When Mourinho was made the club’s manager, the Frenchman was identified as one of the players that was not pulling their weight.
He was openly criticised by the Portuguese manager and it looked like he would be leaving in the last transfer window.
The club was not looking to give up on him that quickly and he seems to be repaying the faith shown in him now.
This season has been a fantastic one for him and he is now one of the first names on the team sheet.
Jermaine Jenas wrote about Spurs on the BBC and he named the midfielder as one of the special players at the club alongside Harry Kane and Son Heung-min.
He wrote: “But a lot of the others are more than just reliable, they are special – like Harry Kane and Son Heung-min of course.
“Ndombele is another one in that bracket. I watched him play for Lyon against Manchester City in 2018 and, with his technical ability, intelligent passing and physical power, he always had the potential to be one of the very best, he just took time to adjust to what Mourinho asks for.
I think when Mourinho comes into a club, he gives the players a framework and says ‘this is what I want. If you do it, you will become better. If you want to do your own thing, you won’t play for me’.
That broke down with Ndombele last season, which is why he was in and out of the team, but he is applying himself now and doing exactly what Mourinho asks.
Now he’s a starter, week-in week-out, and in the first hour against City on Saturday he was the key component for Tottenham’s gameplan.”
I’m my eyes he is becoming more than what we missed when Dembele left.
He never loses the ball, goes past players for fun ….ring a bell?
But he also is gonna create a ton of goals which Dembele hardly did.
He’ll score his fair share also.
No doubting what you just said Mr Hughes
He a SPURS player through & through
Like most modern day players, It all depends on what floats around his head than ability, if he could follow the same mentality of those two as examples then who knows.
Yeah 2 points dropped is great news, im still rueing the points dropped at Newcastle and West Spam…
It’s getting interesting with Liverpool only picking up a point
Kane, who is on the same wages as Ndombele, and Son, who isn’t, have won games on their own for a few years now. Ndombele has to do this to be considered in the same bracket. All of Tottenham’s players were key to the City game, not just Tanguy. At £200k a week I want more than a couple of fancy turns and a pass around the corner. What I do not want to see is him controlling a midfield, which he is capable of, next season. We paid Lyon big money and him too to do it now. Demanding this and Ndombele delivering will bring Spurs into trophy territory.
Worldie in the making. Watch this space.
Ndombele…still a little early to say he’ll be either as effective at his best or as consistent week in week out as Son/Kane are.
There’s the potential for him to be in our top 3 players though, no doubt.
Liverpool finally having a few injuries and unlucky decisions…
Saw that starting 11 and it had ‘draw’ written all over it.