On the latest episode of the Last Word On Spurs podcast, Ricky Sacks, Lee McQueen, Jamie Brown and John Wenham provided immediate reaction to Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-1 win against Lokomotiv Plovdiv in the Europa League second qualifying round, whilst also discussing the latest transfer rumours surrounding the North London club.
One topic of discussion on the recent podcast, which was titled ‘Ndombele’s moment‘, was the performance of the former Lyon man in the 2-1 win in Bulgaria. The 23-year-old came off the bench in the second half and scored the winning goal to ensure that Spurs will progress to the third qualifying round, where they will face North Macedonian side Shkendija (per BBC).
Here’s what Brown had to say about the French international on the podcast:
“I’ve been very critical of him recently. Now I would say that’s starting to slightly change and I think the big thing for me – is Jose Mourinho’s comments. It really feels now as though Jose Mourinho is making a lot of noises that Tanguy is starting to do the right stuff. It feels as though he says he’s now in a positive evolution, he’s now mentioning that last season he was in a very difficult way, but now it’s starting to change and he’s starting to show more signs that he’s willing.
“Jose Mourinho – we’ve seen [on] plenty of occasions – he does it with players where he gives them that Jose Mourinho test. Are they mentally strong enough to overcome criticism and come out the other side? It seems as though, given Jose Mourinho’s comments, that he’s starting to show those signs of that desire to improve. It is starting to look positive with Tanguy, it is disappointing that he’s not quite fit enough to make starts, but it does look as though he is going in the right direction.”
TIF Thoughts…
As Brown alludes to, Mourinho was complimentary of Ndombele in his post-match press conference and suggested that perhaps he wasn’t quite motivated enough last season.
Is Ndombele set for a big season now?
Yes
No
The Frenchman managed just 12 starts in the Premier League during the 2019/20 campaign, with fitness and injury issues proving to be a problem throughout the season, so he will no doubt be hoping that he can stay fit and establish himself in this Spurs team, following his impressive cameo on Thursday night.