New Ndombele must never start for Spurs again

Tottenham Hotspur have been brought down many times throughout the season, but they bounced back from the canvas with Roberto De Zerbi in his own corner.

3 games. Leeds (H), Chelsea (A), Everton (H). That’s all that stands between Spurs surviving or slipping into the second tier.

Injuries have been at the heart of this disappointing downturn, but Tottenham have ultimately left too much to be desired with their reinforcements over the past few years.

However, it’s not all about injuries. Spurs bounced back against Aston Villa and showed their spirit and resourcefulness in the face of adversity.

How Spurs beat Aston Villa

Tottenham faced a weakened Aston Villa side, with manager Unai Emery resting his players ahead of their Europa League semi-final clash, but the controlled pressure they exerted on the home side was incredible all things considered.

While the forwards worked hard and caused mischief in the final third, the midfield trio trampled on the authority of Youri Tielemans and Ross Barkley.

This is the formation you must maintain over the final weeks of the season.

The De Zerbi effect is already well established, but there is still a long way to go before Tottenham reach the end of the season where they can be called stable members of the Premier League.

We need to improve our recruitment activities in the future. There’s no doubt about it.

Indeed, players like Tanguy Ndombele and Steven Bergwijn were fooled into flattery at the start of the decade, but Tottenham have plunged into even darker depths since then, with much of their current crop at risk of being sold this summer after disastrous individual campaigns.

Spurs must get rid of new signing Ndombele

Tottenham will be saying goodbye to a number of their first-team stars this summer, and rightly so. The north Londoners need to press the reset button and just have to contain the leak with Yves Bissouma, who has just a month left until his contract ends.

Bissouma hasn’t played much this season, having been sidelined through injury and AFCON, and although he recently returned, a poor performance against Brighton led manager De Zerbi to remove him ahead of their winning streak.

The 29-year-old Mali international may not have arrived for as much money as Ndombele, who was signed from Lyon for a club record £63m in 2019, but he still arrives with the weight of expectations that have waned over the years.

The tough-tackling star has had 31 warnings and two dismissals at Tottenham due to disciplinary issues, with off-field issues further muddying his promising career at the club.

The same problem was evident throughout Ndombele’s England career, failing to channel and sustain his limitless natural potential.

Tottenham’s engine room has looked very powerful, committed and intuitive in recent weeks. It’s not perfect – how could it be when there are so many injuries – but De Zerbi has come up with a sustainable way to avoid the threat of relegation.

What can Bissouma hope to do if an exciting talent like Gray fails to establish himself in the starting XI? After all, Gray has been predicted by former Lilywhites manager Harry Redknapp to be ‘Tottenham’s captain of the future’.

Conversely, Bisouuma continues to act to the detriment of his skill set when called into battle. His failure in the duel against Brighton was proof of that and there will be no time for sentimentality as De Zerbi keeps his new trio in place for the final few weeks of the season.

Bissouma was once considered one of the most talented midfielders in the Premier League. Indeed, his aptitude for close quarters combat and crisp delivery made him a formidable opponent for Premier League teams looking to drive the ball forward. Like Ndombele, he has enjoyed moments of success, but it looks like he will depart on a similarly dark note.

But sadly, Spurs have few positive results left, and if ENIC Group were to extend the Malian player’s stay at the club, it would be proof that they have not learned from their countless mistakes in recent years.