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Player Watch - Tanguy Ndombele

Spurs_Bear

Well-Known Member
Jan 7, 2009
17,094
22,286
What shape? Thin and athletic? Literally looks in great shape in every photo.

Player is not up to match fitness in preseason ? Is that surprising to you? ?
You can only lead a horse to water mate. Fair to say we don’t agree.
 

Flashspur

Well-Known Member
Jul 28, 2012
6,882
9,068
Well he has Moussa to keep him company at work as well as home now. That treatment table is getting crowded.
 

mpickard2087

Patient Zero
Jun 13, 2008
21,886
32,513
What shape? Thin and athletic? Literally looks in great shape in every photo.

Player is not up to match fitness in preseason ? Is that surprising to you? ?

Shape doesn't just mean weight/fat though does it, which is how most are trying to steer and define this topic.

Shape also means your base fitness levels etc and being able to get through the workload.

There is being rusty in pre-season and not quite at optimum levels.... not up to match fitness as you put it... and then there is someone who can barely break into a jog after 10-15 mins and is quite clearly knackered - tell tale signs such as not doing defensive duties, not looking for the ball or making himself available as an option whilst he hides and takes a breather, etc. And another tell tale sign of a lack of basic fitness is, in my opinion and surely for anyone who has played sport and had to come back from injury/long time out, these niggly repeat injuries that keep happening - when you're not up to the level and your body/muscles are under huge stress trying to hang in there eventually something has to give.....

And if it had just been pre-season then that would have been fair enough maybe, but this lack of fitness and looking shagged after a few mins carried on throughout the autumn mixed with the inevitable muscle injuries. How can anyone be impressed by the situation?

I don't want to pick on Ndombele, but I'm wracking my brains and struggling to recall someone rocking up in the Spurs first team and being so out of shape and off the pace they can only go for 10 mins of the match before being out of puff. Now maybe the French league didn't have the demands the PL has and it's a step up slightly that had to be made, but Lyon are still a serious club competing in Europe every year and its not credible to explain it all away on that. The player himself has to take quite a lot of responsibility for the condition he turned up in(and for balance/to show it's not a vendetta against one player, I also criticised Vertonghen for his pre-season performances and for being obviously way off the pace, when fans were scratching their head about him being dropped), and now subsequent write off of his first 6 months at Spurs. It's no wonder some fans aren't impressed with it.
 

Flashspur

Well-Known Member
Jul 28, 2012
6,882
9,068
Spot on Mick. Some of us like @Spurs_Bear have resorted to a bit of humour to the chagrin of the PC crowd on SC but it’s really the basic fitness issue that is the crux of this matter.
 

teedee

Well-Known Member
Jan 11, 2019
702
1,412
Maybe we offered better pies? ?‍♂️


Just kidding. He’s already shown himself to be a quality player. Just imagine what he would be like when he’s fully fit.

My imagination doesn't stretch that far.
 

guiltyparty

Well-Known Member
Sep 21, 2005
9,023
13,524
Was there not a bit about his attitude towards fitness in his younger days, that he had to work harder than others because his natural physical state was of a heavier set? I recall a piece about his mental strength breaking into the Amiens team, maybe that's slipped. Big move, big money can see why he might regress in that regard (not justifying it). With the minor injuries, perhaps its just all culminated in him not being able to get to the level he needs to. I bloody hope he fixes up soon as we aren't a club that can afford to have £100m asset (once wages are factored in) not performing.

Indeed. He was a late bloomer and nearly gave up football altogether. Has long wrestled with his size and motivation.The concern is he had an amazing couple of seasons at Lyon but that was kind of the outlier.

Has slight whiffs of Janssen about this - overweight, signed based on one eye-catching season, struggling to make the transition from a much weaker league, etc. He’s obviously got real talent and a higher ceiling but I agree with others, I dunno where this free pass comes from - he was in Ligue 2 reserves just three seasons ago and he seems to have reverted to those fitness levels.
 

Hotspur88

Well-Known Member
Aug 1, 2008
3,146
75,106
Ndombele is clearly an unbelievable talent, that shouldn't even be under debate. Yes he has had a tough start with injuries but he's been in the Prem for a few months so needs time to settle. Fabinho is a prime example at Liverpool, initially struggling before asserting himself as one of the best DM's in the league. Ndombele will become a massive player for us, give him the rest of the season to settle in and a full pre season and then watch him flourish next season.
 

teedee

Well-Known Member
Jan 11, 2019
702
1,412
Ndombele is clearly an unbelievable talent, that shouldn't even be under debate. Yes he has had a tough start with injuries but he's been in the Prem for a few months so needs time to settle. Fabinho is a prime example at Liverpool, initially struggling before asserting himself as one of the best DM's in the league. Ndombele will become a massive player for us, give him the rest of the season to settle in and a full pre season and then watch him flourish next season.

It's a bit early to state that Ndombele is an 'unbelievable talent'. He is talented, certainly, but is yet to make his mark and no one is greatly talented unless they show commitment and guts alongside their skillfulness. Despite his undoubted skill he has been quite widely criticised in French footballing circles as often lacking focus and for his weight problems. I hope he does become an essential player for us and, if he does, the sooner the better.
 
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nailsy

SC Supporter
Jul 24, 2005
30,536
46,628
Shape doesn't just mean weight/fat though does it, which is how most are trying to steer and define this topic.

Shape also means your base fitness levels etc and being able to get through the workload.

There is being rusty in pre-season and not quite at optimum levels.... not up to match fitness as you put it... and then there is someone who can barely break into a jog after 10-15 mins and is quite clearly knackered - tell tale signs such as not doing defensive duties, not looking for the ball or making himself available as an option whilst he hides and takes a breather, etc. And another tell tale sign of a lack of basic fitness is, in my opinion and surely for anyone who has played sport and had to come back from injury/long time out, these niggly repeat injuries that keep happening - when you're not up to the level and your body/muscles are under huge stress trying to hang in there eventually something has to give.....

And if it had just been pre-season then that would have been fair enough maybe, but this lack of fitness and looking shagged after a few mins carried on throughout the autumn mixed with the inevitable muscle injuries. How can anyone be impressed by the situation?

I don't want to pick on Ndombele, but I'm wracking my brains and struggling to recall someone rocking up in the Spurs first team and being so out of shape and off the pace they can only go for 10 mins of the match before being out of puff. Now maybe the French league didn't have the demands the PL has and it's a step up slightly that had to be made, but Lyon are still a serious club competing in Europe every year and its not credible to explain it all away on that. The player himself has to take quite a lot of responsibility for the condition he turned up in(and for balance/to show it's not a vendetta against one player, I also criticised Vertonghen for his pre-season performances and for being obviously way off the pace, when fans were scratching their head about him being dropped), and now subsequent write off of his first 6 months at Spurs. It's no wonder some fans aren't impressed with it.

I asked yesterday if anyone knew what players were meant to do during the off-season. Are they given a fitness routine/diet by their club that they are meant to follow, or are they usually just left to their own devices to do as they please? Any ideas? Genuine question by the way. If he was given something that he was meant to follow and he ignored it and hit the beers and burgers all summer then it's fair enough to criticise him.

Personally without knowing the above I'm hesitant to put the blame on Ndombele for his fitness issues as I wouldn't be surprised if the club messed up the fitness training in pre-season. There were rumours that the players were being made to do even more double training sessions than usual before the season started and it's possible that over doing it has had an impact on Ndombele. He's not the only player thats looked tired this season.
 

Klinsmannesque

Well-Known Member
Jul 26, 2013
900
4,665
I asked yesterday if anyone knew what players were meant to do during the off-season. Are they given a fitness routine/diet by their club that they are meant to follow, or are they usually just left to their own devices to do as they please? Any ideas? Genuine question by the way. If he was given something that he was meant to follow and he ignored it and hit the beers and burgers all summer then it's fair enough to criticise him.

Personally without knowing the above I'm hesitant to put the blame on Ndombele for his fitness issues as I wouldn't be surprised if the club messed up the fitness training in pre-season. There were rumours that the players were being made to do even more double training sessions than usual before the season started and it's possible that over doing it has had an impact on Ndombele. He's not the only player thats looked tired this season.

Pretty sure they are given fitness schedules by the club. Think I heard it on the Peter Crouch podcast. These are multi-million pound assets (hate that term but it is what it is) and would be negligent of the club not to have some element of control over their bodies during the summer
 

Gareth88

Well-Known Member
Sep 19, 2017
4,592
6,727
Pretty sure they are given fitness schedules by the club. Think I heard it on the Peter Crouch podcast. These are multi-million pound assets (hate that term but it is what it is) and would be negligent of the club not to have some element of control over their bodies during the summer
This is going back about 10 years but I knew a few pro players summer time would be basically 3-5 weeks and then a hard preseason most realised after a bit going wild for those short weeks didnt help them in long run but they did have the freedom to do so.
 

LeParisien

Wrong about everything
Mar 5, 2018
3,212
8,169
Shape doesn't just mean weight/fat though does it, which is how most are trying to steer and define this topic.

Shape also means your base fitness levels etc and being able to get through the workload.

There is being rusty in pre-season and not quite at optimum levels.... not up to match fitness as you put it... and then there is someone who can barely break into a jog after 10-15 mins and is quite clearly knackered - tell tale signs such as not doing defensive duties, not looking for the ball or making himself available as an option whilst he hides and takes a breather, etc. And another tell tale sign of a lack of basic fitness is, in my opinion and surely for anyone who has played sport and had to come back from injury/long time out, these niggly repeat injuries that keep happening - when you're not up to the level and your body/muscles are under huge stress trying to hang in there eventually something has to give.....

And if it had just been pre-season then that would have been fair enough maybe, but this lack of fitness and looking shagged after a few mins carried on throughout the autumn mixed with the inevitable muscle injuries. How can anyone be impressed by the situation?

I don't want to pick on Ndombele, but I'm wracking my brains and struggling to recall someone rocking up in the Spurs first team and being so out of shape and off the pace they can only go for 10 mins of the match before being out of puff. Now maybe the French league didn't have the demands the PL has and it's a step up slightly that had to be made, but Lyon are still a serious club competing in Europe every year and its not credible to explain it all away on that. The player himself has to take quite a lot of responsibility for the condition he turned up in(and for balance/to show it's not a vendetta against one player, I also criticised Vertonghen for his pre-season performances and for being obviously way off the pace, when fans were scratching their head about him being dropped), and now subsequent write off of his first 6 months at Spurs. It's no wonder some fans aren't impressed with it.
That is a fair-minded post and you have legitimate concerns.

However you are not really in a position to comment on his fitness. He has seemed sluggish at times but part of that is his running style - we’ve signed someone closer to Dembele than Kanté.

Remeber you are talking about a player who played 55 games last season. This is someone who has had an incredible drive to succeed and work on his fitness since being turned away from Ligue 2 clubs at 17 for being a tiny bit overweight. He has been a consummate professional for 6 years and played a tonne of games last year that someone with a bad attitude would not have been able to do at such a high level. And that was off the back of 47 games the season before.

Of course he might turn out to be like Kane and be out for 2 months every season or like Lamela and play for 2 months every season. Nobody can rule that out about any of our players. But that’s not the evidence we have so far.

Your hypothesis is that a player who has played over 100 games in the past two season without any fitness concerns earns a big money move and in the space of 6 weeks lives such a wreck less lifestyle that he’s unable to get up to speed in 5 months..?

I don’t buy it. Give him time.

Everybody lauds Liverpool’s transfer policy (righty) but it took Fabinho and Keita a long while to hit top form. Let’s be a bit calmer about this. And that’s coming from a Frenchman.
 

LeParisien

Wrong about everything
Mar 5, 2018
3,212
8,169
Indeed. He was a late bloomer and nearly gave up football altogether. Has long wrestled with his size and motivation.The concern is he had an amazing couple of seasons at Lyon but that was kind of the outlier.

Has slight whiffs of Janssen about this - overweight, signed based on one eye-catching season, struggling to make the transition from a much weaker league, etc. He’s obviously got real talent and a higher ceiling but I agree with others, I dunno where this free pass comes from - he was in Ligue 2 reserves just three seasons ago and he seems to have reverted to those fitness levels.
His fitness levels three years ago were excellent.

Hes had two seasons at an elite level and he’s 23. People were cooing about him in the summer of 2018 and I thought we had blown our chance to get him then.
 

Kiedis

Well-Known Member
Aug 4, 2013
2,926
8,490
Have a hard time imagining an overweight and unfit player so easily spin away from almost every opponent he's come across thus far.

I'm still at the "he has a sports hernia in need of an operation that's being confused with groin strains" fence.
 

nailsy

SC Supporter
Jul 24, 2005
30,536
46,628
Pretty sure they are given fitness schedules by the club. Think I heard it on the Peter Crouch podcast. These are multi-million pound assets (hate that term but it is what it is) and would be negligent of the club not to have some element of control over their bodies during the summer

I thought that was probably the case, but it's good to have it confirmed (y) . I guess the obvious issue here is that he wasn't our player until the start of July so who knows what instructions he was given by Lyon?
 

guiltyparty

Well-Known Member
Sep 21, 2005
9,023
13,524
His fitness levels three years ago were excellent.

Hes had two seasons at an elite level and he’s 23. People were cooing about him in the summer of 2018 and I thought we had blown our chance to get him then.

Lyon are not an elite club, sorry. And Ligue 1 is not an elite league.
 
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