Tottenham star Tanguy Ndombele opens up on Jose Mourinho relationship after a difficult phase
Speaking to The Guardian, Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Tanguy Ndombele has opened up on his relation and equation with manager Jose Mourinho after a turbulent spell last season.
The Frenchman arrived at Tottenham in the summer of 2019 in a club-record deal. But he endured a difficult campaign, having failed to adapt himself to his new surroundings while struggling with fitness problems at the same time.
Matters weren’t helped by the change of managers midway through the 2019/20 campaign as Mourinho replaced Mauricio Pochettino.
“For me, the hardest thing was getting used to my new life here – new language, new teammates, new league. The change of manager [from Pochettino to Mourinho] wasn’t the most challenging thing. The arrival of a new manager is hard at first, but over time we’ve gotten to know each other and now we have a good relationship.”
Under the Portuguese, Ndombele was in and out of the team and was subjected to public criticism on a number of occasions. And opening up on that difficult phase, the Frenchman claimed that it was only the manager’s way to try and coax the best out of him.
“If you know Mourinho then you understand how he behaves. I wouldn’t call it confrontation. He’s just got a certain way of sending his messages and it all depends on how you receive those messages.
“Quite simply, I needed to fight for myself. Of course, it’s never nice when you hear those things about you. But the most important thing is to work really hard, fight and turn the situation around. Thankfully, that’s something I’ve managed to do.”
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Having survived the season of turbulence, Ndombele has flourished this season. Alongside the likes of Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, the Frenchman has become one of Tottenham’s best players this term. Mourinho’s tough love did do the trick after all.
