Italian media have criticised Tottenham midfielder Tanguy Ndombele for his latest Napoli outing – in what was only his third start, during a 4-1 win over Cremonese. The Frenchman lasted just 57 minutes, his longest outing of the season.
Tottenham’s Ndombele, 25, joined Napoli on loan until the end of the season. He was ousted by Antonio Conte, one of four players to train by himself according to Michael Bridge. Along with Harry Winks, Sergio Reguilon and Gio Lo Celso.
He has struggled to be a regular in Napoli’s side so far, largely starting as a substitute. The France international has only started three of Napoli’s 11 games – but has come on as a sub in another seven. He got his third start on Sunday.
His other two starts lasted 45 minutes, and on Sunday, he clocked up 57 minutes. His lack of fitness – something which was often cited at Tottenham – is under scrutiny. La Repubblica gave their verdict on his outing, handing him 5/10.
“He gets into trouble in tight spaces and does not find the gear change,” La Repubblica report. With the scoreline reading 1-1 when Ndombele exited the clash, Napoli went on to win 4-1. Giovanni Simeone, his replacement, scored.
Italian media have criticised Tottenham midfielder Ndombele
It seems that Ndombele’s Tottenham spell is simply continuing at Napoli. While he is getting more game time at a Champions League club than he would ever have got at Spurs, his game time is still lacking. Largely, down to fitness.
Clearly, Napoli boss Luciano Spalletti does not trust Ndombele to last anything more than an hour. While it increased on Sunday, it is still less than an hour. Napoli take on Ajax and Bologna this week, and Ndombele might start once.
But the midfielder simply needs to get fit. He needs to start showing Spalletti, and Tottenham, that he can be involved in a game for more than an hour. For a player of his quality, it is a shame to see his fitness is holding him back.
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