In a country famous for its conductors, Dembele swelled reputation as a midfield maestro

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Mail
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • WhatsApp
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Tottenham's midfield maestro Mousa Dembele

    In a country renowned for producing some of the world’s most prominent conductors, it was fitting Mousa Dembele swelled his reputation as one of football’s finest midfield maestros.

    Indeed, amid the Tottenham chaos of falling two goals behind after two bouts of disastrous defending in their last-16 first leg Champions League clash, the big Belgian amplified composure in the Juventus cauldron of cacophony.

    Like the forceful flick of a conductor’s baton, every Dembele stride into the Juve half communicated calm to an ensemble of Spurs players in desperate need of direction.

    No player from either starting XI attempted more passes (100) with higher accuracy (95 per cent).

    And the absurdity of those statistics in a game of such magnitude are not in isolation this season. In fact, it’s not even restricted the last two weeks.

    Dembele dictated against Juve, but the sheet music was the same against Arsenal last weekend (96.6 per cent accuracy – highest overall – from 59 passes, fifth most in the game), Liverpool the week before (68 passes – second highest overall – for 88.2 per cent accuracy which was highest in that fixture) and Manchester United prior to that (77 passes with an accuracy of 94.8 per cent – the best figures from both XIs).

    His renaissance this season has been borne out of the 30-year-old’s ability to rid himself of chronic niggling injuries rather than a sudden maturity of talent.

    Respected corners of the football world talked of Dembele’s decline but the reality is that this iteration of the Belgian has always existed.

    It’s his ability to reach a level of fitness where he’s able to play multiple games in row which is directly attributed to the high-quality performances we’re seeing now.

    In every season bar the 2013/14 campaign, Dembele has suffered an injury since signing from Fulham in 2012.

    Eight games were missed in the 2012/13 season, five in 2015/16, five the season after that and seven at the start of this term.

    It’s an issue which Spurs boss Mauricio Pochettino is acutely aware of.

    “I think the problem is about his fitness, no? Because, that is about his quality, there is no doubt that like I have told you many times, for me he is a genius, and unbelievably player,” said the Argentine in the aftermath of the win over Arsenal.

    “But we must be careful about his fitness, it is good and he can train and, he can make this type of performance because he is a great talented player.”

    Whether Dembele is just in the right moment or circumstances have changed away from the pitch – Harry Kane talked recently about the changes to his diet and the immense help that’s helped his own career  – is unknown.

    But what’s obvious is that injuries have slowed him down, curtailing his consistency.

    Now, after dominating four incredibly intense fixtures in the space of two weeks, the hope will be that despite his age, Dembele can remain injury free, especially in a World Cup year.

    After all, it’s a frightening prospect to consider Belgium possess Eden Hazard, Kevin De Bruyne and Dembele in their ranks.

    Dembele and international teammate De Bruyne earlier this season

    Dembele and international teammate De Bruyne earlier this season

    And Dembele deserves mention alongside that pair because without the nagging doubt of injury, he is arguably the best in England when it comes to orchestrating from midfield.

    Indeed, he is a unique player, a pirouetting bull with the physicality to break down attacks then set Spurs off in the opposite direction with supreme balance, vision and dribbling skills.

    A beauty and the beast talent, you could say Dembele is hitting all the right notes at the moment.

    Recommended