Robbie Keane claims Tanguy Ndombele is not suited to play in Antonio Conte’s midfield at Tottenham Hotspur
Speaking on Sky Sports, as quoted by football.london, Robbie Keane has claimed that Tottenham Hotspur star Tanguy Ndombele is not disciplined enough to play as a midfielder under Antonio Conte.
The central midfielder joined the club under the tutelage of Mauricio Pochettino in 2019. It took him some time to settle, but he came to the fore under the stewardship of Jose Mourinho. However, his minutes started decreasing as the Portuguese boss neared his exit.
He rarely featured in the opening month for Nuno Espirito Santo but started to rack up some minutes until the former Wolves was shown the exit door. Antonio Conte was appointed this month, but Ndombele is yet to land a regular starting position under the Italian.
Former Spurs striker Robbie Keane has now explained that the 24-year-old has good qualities but lacks the discipline to play as a central midfielder in Conte’s set-up. He told Sky Sports, as quoted by football.london:
“Creativity wise, in terms of skill and cleverness, he is very good. If you are going to have two sitters, I do not think he is disciplined enough for that role. Absolutely [can make the team better going forward].
“If you are asking a Harry Kane, for example, or [Heung-min] Son, I would say you will probably want someone like him in your team because he is always looking for that forward pass. If you do not put it on the training ground, you are not going to play.”
However, Spurs are still engaged in all of the cup competitions, and there is enough time for him to impress his new boss.
Ndombele is bound to find success at some point under Conte
The attacking midfielder can thrive under a modern manager with a winning mentality. He showed it under Mourinho as he flourished playing behind Harry Kane and Son Heung-min. He was showing his quality under Mauricio Pochettino as well until the Argentinian was sacked just four months after Ndombele completed his club-record move to North London.
Conte has often provided minutes to players who work hard under him and produce the quality on matchday. His work with Nicolo Barella at Inter Milan is also a testament that he can work with creative playmakers.
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Thus, the Frenchman needs to add a little discipline to his game and run the hard yards in training. It might not be long before he becomes a regular under the 2017 Premier League-winning boss and shows why we splashed the cash for him when brought him in from Lyon.
