FUELED BY THE
Criticism part of the game - it’s dealing with it that counts
DELE ALLI need look no further than Tanguy Ndombele to know there is a pathway back into Jose Mourinho’s affections.
This time last year Ndombele was stuck on the fringes at Tottenham as he struggled to make any impact after his £59million arrival from Lyon.
Fast forward 12 months and he is a mainstay of the Spurs midfield, having made 27 appearances in all competitions this season, scoring five times.
Take note Alli, who has been left out in the cold by Mourinho for the last six months – even if peace appears to have broken out between the pair after a heart-to-heart last week.
Not that it is an easy process to go through, according to Ndombele. He concedes there can be intense soul-searching during the darker times. Ultimately, though, it comes down to the individual accepting criticism – no matter how harsh – recognising exactly why it has been levelled and acting upon it. Ndombele, 24, said: “It depends how you take the message. “Obviously, the coach can be quite hard on people at times but it’s understandable if you concede a sloppy goal or things don’t go your way.
“It’s important you take that message on board, try to find the positives and not be floored by the hardness of the message.” One of Ndombele’s most testing moments came when Mourinho publicly laid into him after a 1-1 draw with Burnley in early March, just before the first national lockdown. Some might have crumbled. Ndombele thrived.
So was it a case of some muchneeded tough love from the Special One sparking the France star’s transformation from an expensive flop seemingly on his way out, to being an essential cog in the Tottenham engine room?
Ndombele, capped six times by his country, said: “We have a French expression about the way people are with each other but sometimes the words can be too hard or too harsh.
“When you speak that way, it’s obviously going to have an effect and, for me, it created a war in my head. It was difficult to take.
“My response to the criticism? That’s how life is. It’s an element of the game. The important thing is that you take that message on board. You have to get up again.” The same applies to Spurs after successive defeats to Liverpool, Brighton and Chelsea killed their title hopes.
Yet, even when the team suffers blips Ndombele still impresses. The fact Mourinho is willing to give him a full 90 minutes these days underlines his growing faith.
“The coach’s management of me was good. He brought me back for 60, 65, 70 minutes and that worked well, helped me get into a rhythm,” Ndombele added ahead, of today’s visit of West Brom.
“Now I’m in great shape. I’m doing better this season on several fronts – primarily no injury.
“It’s also understanding my team-mates better and I have a strong grasp of what the coach wants from me.
“That has all contributed to this positive frame of mind.”
SITTING IT OUT: Dele Alli is on the sidelines at Spurs