Joe Cole urges Tanguy Ndombele to make the most of Mourinho’s criticism
It was the season where Tottenham Hotspur were supposed to push on following the heartbreaking loss in the Champions League final. One of the key actions taken by the club was the record signing of Lyon’s powerhouse midfielder Tanguy Ndombele.
The Frenchman has found the going tough and has faced troubles with both form and injuries. His performances have come under the scanner following Jose Mourinho’s open criticism of his inability to impress.
In times like these, he will do well to pay heed the advice of those who have faced such situations under the Portuguese tactician. Joe Cole experienced a similar situation at Chelsea where Mourinho criticized his inability to defend while also taking a shot at his showboating.
Instead of letting the criticism wear him down, Cole turned into one of the league’s best players. According to the Daily Mail, he has now urged Ndombele to make positive use of his manager’s criticism. The former Chelsea star has urged the Frenchman to give more to the club than what he is currently offering.
Cole labelled football a ‘grown up’s sport’ and has called upon Ndombele to take it as a challenge to improve and salvage his career at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“Whether you expect to get criticised publicly or not, you need to be tough, you need to understand the nature of the beast.”
Positive reinforcement
His advice to Ndombele is to keep his head down and let his performance on the pitch do the talking for him. Still only 23, Ndombele is young and has a long career ahead of him.
“The right response is to knuckle down and perform.”
Cole admitted to having watched the player’s performance and has agreed with Mourinho’s assessment. He did, however, cast into doubt whether he would choose to call out a player publicly had he been in Mourinho’s position.
He asked Ndombele to take criticism on his chin and recognize he is lucky to play the sport. Football is an unforgiving sport and the French midfielder will do well to take the good and the bad in his stride.
“It can be a tough, brutal sport at time”
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Cole also backed Mourinho’s judgment on the matter and revealed that the manager would not have made such comments without knowing his player’s character. He urged Ndombele to not take the criticism personally. Cole is hopeful that the player will rise to the challenge and react strongly.
