Tottenham Hotspur manager, Jose Mourinho has stressed that players should take the credit when they are playing well or badly because it is their responsibility to improve.
He said the role of football managers is to help players to improve but the rate of the improvement depends on the desire the player put into it.
Jose Mourinho stated this while analyzing the secret behind the improved performance of Tanguy Ndombele in the recent games the 24-year-old French midfielder has played for Tottenham this season.
The Portuguese tactician and Tanguy Ndombele joined Tottenham Hotspur in the summer of 2019. Mourinho said when the French footballer joined the London club, he was not in a good shape.
Hence, in his first season at the club, Ndombele found it difficult to establish himself under Mourinho. For instance, last season, the French midfielder made only 21 Premier League appearances, scoring two goals and providing 2 assists.
While in all competitions, The French star managed to make only 29 appearances, scoring 2 goals and providing 4 assists.
These stats sparked the speculation then that Jose Mourinho and Tanguy Ndombele were having a misunderstanding, a claim that Mourinho debunked.
So far this season, Mourinho has been using the midfielder more frequently. Tanguy Ndombele has made 15 Premier League appearances out of 17, scoring two goals and providing one assist.
When Mourinho was asked about the improvement of the defender, the Portuguese coach said Tanguy Ndombele started improving when he realized that he had to change.
Jose Mourinho said: “I always say, and I’ve really felt it all through my career, that the big responsibility for the good and for bad is [with] the player,” Mourinho said in an exclusive interview with Sky Sports News when asked about his role and personal pride in Ndombele’s revival.
“We don’t make miracles. We don’t make players when they have no quality and when they have no desire and no discipline and no motivation. So for good or bad, it’s always the player’s responsibility and we are the ones who can try to help.
“Sometimes they are open for that and other times they are not. When they are not, there is nothing you can do, but when they are open, you feel that motivation to help them.
“When Tanguy arrived here his condition was not good. When I arrived he was getting a small injury after a small injury which I believe was his responsibility.
“And for him to realize that he had to change, and work differently, is to his credit. Yes, he is playing and playing well. We are happy with him. But, I repeat, it’s a total credit to Tanguy.”
Tanguy Ndombele is expected to feature in Tottenham’s Premier League game against Sheffield United scheduled for 15:00 today, January 17. A win in the match could take Tottenham back to the top four pending the outcome of other league games.
"They are a team that plays the same way they did last season, with the same principles and the same threat."
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) January 16, 2021
🗣️ Jose previews Sheffield United#THFC ⚪️ #COYS pic.twitter.com/hKtdqFexwk
