Burnley trip provides Ndombele with chance to complete Tottenham turnaround
"In the first half we didn’t have a midfield," Jose Mourinho said in the wake of Tottenham's 1-1 draw at Burnley back in March. The Spurs boss was scathing of Tanguy Ndombele in his post-match press conference, adding: "I’m not going to run away and I have to say he [Ndombele] has had enough time to come to a different level."
Mourinho had hauled Ndombele off at the interval as he and Oliver Skipp struggled to control proceedings in the middle of the park. That would be the final Premier League game Tottenham would play for months as football went into lockdown to help combat the Coronavirus pandemic.
In the weeks following the game's return, though, Ndombele featured sparingly under Mourinho and it heightened speculation that he would depart the club over the summer. Mourinho has often demanded players play through the pain barrier in order to work their way into his good books, yet the Frenchman's seeming lack of application failed to impress the Portuguese boss.
Of course, a young player in a new country - it was always going to take time to settle. Even so, and despite Spurs' best efforts to suggest otherwise, Ndombele was heavily linked with a move away from the club over the summer. The transfer window, though, came and went and the 23-year-old remained in north London.
With the addition of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, it seemed Ndombele's days were numbered, but as Mourinho sought to move to a 4-3-3, the latter has become a more prominent member of the Spurs setup. Indeed, Ndombele has started three of Spurs' five league matches in 2020/21. While he has only registered 215 minutes of game time in the Premier League this season, between Mourinho's appointment last November and the end of 2019/20, Ndombele only managed 431 minutes of game time.
The exploits of Harry Kane and Son Heung-Min have overshadowed Ndombele's resurgence - the pair rank first and second as the Premier League's top rated players this season - but with the spotlight on the duo, the former Lyon man has quietly gone about his business in midfield. Providing the drive from deep, Ndombele's average of 2.9 successful dribbles per 90 is the second best of all Spurs players to start at least once in the Premier League this season.
Fans won't see Ndombele carving opponents up in the same manner as Giovani Lo Celso, the Argentine the player who'll likely rival the former for that third midfield spot over the course of the season, but the ability to ghost past an opponent from the middle of the park is a trait that is not to be scoffed at.
Against teams that sit deep and look to soak up pressure before hitting Spurs on the counter attack, Ndombele's strength of 'dribbling' is key in breaking past his marker, where he would then be able to lay possession off to the full-backs and wide attackers, noted in that his 0.4 key passes per 90 is low, but 64.9 passes per 90 is the fourth highest of all Spurs players. Operating more towards the left, this decision to shift the ball to a teammate would mean he links up with Sergio Reguilon or Son to provide the final ball to score. Considering Son (3.8) and Reguilon (2.5) rank first and third, respectively, for key passes per 90 of all Spurs players, it's an approach that evidently works well.
A change in role under Mourinho has also benefitted Ndombele. While he would previously operate as a two in a 4-2-3-1, a task that doesn't suit the Frenchman, he now has more freedom in a midfield three, safe in the knowledge that his defensive duties have lessened slightly so he has more time on the ball further up the field to bring his attacking teammates into play. In addition, there is less pressure on Ndombele to also create chances as well as win the ball back in midfield, with Mourinho perhaps demanding the player keep it simple rather than seek to force the issue in the final third, saving that for the front three and the two full-backs.
The lingering fitness issues remain with Ndombele playing the full 90 just twice from his eight competitive appearances, but after his club-record arrival from Lyon last summer, the midfielder looks more at ease in England than he did earlier this year. The Burnley clash will have served as a wake up call for Ndombele and while Mourinho didn't earn too many admirers from his public attack on the France international, the tough love has evidently had the desired effect.
Tonight, then, provides Ndombele the perfect chance to complete his Tottenham turnaround. The Clarets are one of four teams yet to win a Premier League game this season and, even at this early stage, need to start picking up points if they are to avoid a relegation scrap and a match winning display at Turf Moor from Ndombele would allow him to banish the demons from March that saw him hung out to dry by Mourinho.
