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N'Dombele's attitude improved at the exact moment Dele Alli's attitude went bad apparently.
Mou deciding to ostracize Dele instead of Ndombele is a net positive for the team, but I wish he would pick a bad player instead. He already doesn't like Sanchez, just focus on hating him instead.
The 4-2-3-1 worked well against Liverpool at Anfield, I don't think Jose will change things up based on one good performance against Sheffield United.
Will be interested if he tries the 3-4-3 again against a team that doesn't play 3 at the back like Brighton or West Brom.
I think this narrative has been all but banished now - as a previous poster mentioned he had the most distance covered and highest speeds of all on the pitch last game, with 90 mins played.
You can see he presses with more intensity than most of our other front 6 as well. Tanguy has fully bought into the workload and offers great technical ability - now we just need to make sure we maximise what he is bringing!
Posting this here as funnily enough Sheffield United's YouTube channel did the best job showing multiple angles etc of Tanguy's goal. Sky had huge ads covering half the screen. But you'll have to view on YouTube as they don't allow it to be viewed outside lol.
'A brilliant goal that capped a brilliant performance' - Ndombele stars for Spurs MOTD analysis vid
When Tanguy Ndombele was substituted at half-time in a game against Burnley last March and then publicly criticised by his manager Jose Mourinho, it looked like the midfielder's time at Tottenham was coming to an end.
Signed for a club record £54m from Lyon in July 2019, the 24-year-old appeared destined to be remembered as an expensive flop as he was reduced to a bit-part player at Spurs in his first season under Mourinho.
But barely a year later his turnaround has been as impressive as it has swift, with him developing into a key player for Spurs with an eye for an excellent pass and capable of sublime moments of magic - highlighted by his stunning goal in Sunday's 3-1 win at Sheffield United.
With the Blades having just pulled a goal back to make it 2-1 and threaten an unlikely comeback, Ndombele hooked a brilliant, improvised lob over Aaron Ramsdale to make the win safe for Spurs and get their top four challenge back on track.
"He is incredible," said Mourinho after the game. "For me, sometimes you can score a great goal isolated from your performance - in this case the goal confirmed his performance: really, really good."
So, how has Ndombele gone from Spurs outcast to key player?
He impressed with his strength and eye for a pass but soon found himself in and out of the side as he struggled with niggling injuries and poor fitness.
From then on, he found his game time limited and, after his half-time withdrawal against Burnley and stinging comments from Mourinho in which he said Ndombele's performance in that game was like "having no midfield", it could have been easy for the France international to give up hope of ever making a career for himself at Spurs.
But in the Amazon 'All or Northing' series, Ndombele was shown having a meeting with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy last summer during which Levy told the Frenchman that the club wanted to keep him but he had to prove himself.
That appeared to spark a change in Ndombele's mindset as he made a determined effort to prove his critics wrong - an approach for which Mourinho gives him full credit.
"It's the player's mentality, the player's will to train hard, the player's will to be available for the team, the player's desire to win, to earn and work a place in the team," he said.
"The door is always open, but the player cannot expect for me to go and bring him. It has to be for the player to walk through that door, and come in the direction of what the team needs from him."
Indeed, a look at a direct comparison between his statistics from 2019-20 to the current campaign does not show much of an improvement.
But a big factor in his upturn in form this season has been having a proper holding midfielder alongside him in Denmark international Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg.
That has allowed Ndombele to get forward more and flourish in the areas where he is more comfortable, using his pace to quickly carry the ball up the pitch.
Ndombele and his team-mates are now reaping the rewards of that new-found freedom.
"This guy, he always touches the ball and something happens," Spurs full-back Serge Aurier said. "I am happy for him, he played well and scored an amazing goal."
Ndombele has previously been described as having the ability to become one of the best midfielders in the world. It now appears he is firmly on the right path to realising that potential.
When Tanguy Ndombele was substituted at half-time in a game against Burnley last March and then publicly criticised by his manager Jose Mourinho, it looked like the midfielder's time at Tottenham was coming to an end.
Signed for a club record £54m from Lyon in July 2019, the 24-year-old appeared destined to be remembered as an expensive flop as he was reduced to a bit-part player at Spurs in his first season under Mourinho.
But barely a year later his turnaround has been as impressive as it has swift, with him developing into a key player for Spurs with an eye for an excellent pass and capable of sublime moments of magic - highlighted by his stunning goal in Sunday's 3-1 win at Sheffield United.
With the Blades having just pulled a goal back to make it 2-1 and threaten an unlikely comeback, Ndombele hooked a brilliant, improvised lob over Aaron Ramsdale to make the win safe for Spurs and get their top four challenge back on track.
"He is incredible," said Mourinho after the game. "For me, sometimes you can score a great goal isolated from your performance - in this case the goal confirmed his performance: really, really good."
So, how has Ndombele gone from Spurs outcast to key player?
A change in mindset
When Ndombele first arrived at Spurs two summers ago, he initially made the right impression, scoring on his debut in a 3-1 win against Aston Villa.He impressed with his strength and eye for a pass but soon found himself in and out of the side as he struggled with niggling injuries and poor fitness.
From then on, he found his game time limited and, after his half-time withdrawal against Burnley and stinging comments from Mourinho in which he said Ndombele's performance in that game was like "having no midfield", it could have been easy for the France international to give up hope of ever making a career for himself at Spurs.
But in the Amazon 'All or Northing' series, Ndombele was shown having a meeting with Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy last summer during which Levy told the Frenchman that the club wanted to keep him but he had to prove himself.
That appeared to spark a change in Ndombele's mindset as he made a determined effort to prove his critics wrong - an approach for which Mourinho gives him full credit.
"It's the player's mentality, the player's will to train hard, the player's will to be available for the team, the player's desire to win, to earn and work a place in the team," he said.
"The door is always open, but the player cannot expect for me to go and bring him. It has to be for the player to walk through that door, and come in the direction of what the team needs from him."
More freedom to flourish
Ndombele arrived at Tottenham as a ball-playing midfielder - one who could help turn defence into attack. The role he plays has not changed from his difficult first season to his - so far - sublime second.Indeed, a look at a direct comparison between his statistics from 2019-20 to the current campaign does not show much of an improvement.
| Season | 2019-20 | 2020-21 |
| Games played | 21 | 16 |
| Minutes played | 1,007 | 982 |
| Goals | 2 | 3 |
| Assists | 2 | 1 |
| Chances created (inc assists) | 12 | 12 |
| Mins/Goal | 504 | 327 |
| Mins/Goal or assist | 252 | 246 |
| Tackles | 24 | 23 |
| Tackle success | 66.7% | 43.5% |
| Passes | 632 | 510 |
| Passing accuracy | 85.6% | 82% |
| Dribbles completed | 38 | 32 |
That has allowed Ndombele to get forward more and flourish in the areas where he is more comfortable, using his pace to quickly carry the ball up the pitch.
Ndombele and his team-mates are now reaping the rewards of that new-found freedom.
"This guy, he always touches the ball and something happens," Spurs full-back Serge Aurier said. "I am happy for him, he played well and scored an amazing goal."
Ndombele has previously been described as having the ability to become one of the best midfielders in the world. It now appears he is firmly on the right path to realising that potential.
Banter admin.
that would be dangerous with Liverpool's front three
This guy is from our forum. He constantly criticizes ndombele and props up winks here. Has to be him.
To be fair to Carragher (!) he only did it one time for one of his worst matches.
It's not like he's Sherwood who thinks he's some destroyer DM or something. Sherwood somehow had multiple managerial jobs in the Premier League and has the brain of a turnip.
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Must say, I'm surprised it took Jose so long to get Tanguy to drop in, link and run games more.
He definitely would have spotted it.
He definitely would have spotted it.
Sherwood is example A of why most pundits are just awful, except he should theoretically know better.
Ndombele just needed to get fit and adapt to the league and country. Poch said it would take 18-24 months and it was about 15 months before he really started rolling this season.
However, I still think his best position is clearly deeper as an 8 rather than a 10.
Keep on about Tanganga playing defensive mid for another 6 years, and you could be in luck.
So could your mum.