March 2020 was a bad month around the world; a national lockdown would be imposed midway through it in the United Kingdom as the pandemic took hold, but just over a week before that on the seventh, Tottenham faced Burnley in the Premier League.
Spurs were ravaged with injury issues; both Harry Kane and Son Heung-min were sidelined for significant spells, resulting in Dele Alli leading the line with Erik Lamela and Steven Bergwijn behind him. Japhet Tanganga, Davinson Sanchez, Eric Dier, Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen all played.
Five centre-backs. Grim.
In a more alarming sign of the times, Oliver Skipp partnered Tanguy Ndombele in central midfield. Both were really inexperienced, but one looked remarkably out of his depth despite being purchased for north of £50m the previous summer.
Manager Jose Mourinho certainly wasn't impressed, hanging Ndombele out to dry for a poor and lethargic performance for which he was substituted at half-time.
After the 1-1 draw, the former Chelsea boss said: "I know that the Premier League is very difficult and some players it takes time. Some players it takes a long time to adapt to a different league, but a player with this potential and responsibility has to give us more than he is giving us."
That's quite a clear message from a manager renowned for his often opaque post-match takes.
That Burnley draw would be Tottenham's last league match for a few months as the coronavirus pandemic confined everyone to their homes. Obviously quite a lot has happened in the last year, but the transformation of Ndombele from that ball-shy husk at Turf Moor to the one who runs Tottenham's midfield now has been one of Mourinho's undisputed achievements at Spurs.
Turning up at the Frenchman's house to take him jogging and getting him to exercise in a park during lockdown wasn't right, but it did show Mourinho's commitment to getting the best out of the club's record signing.
When Premier League football did return, Ndombele was hardly present. He got cameos from the bench against Sheffield United and Bournemouth but was an unused substitute for four games and missed the final three through injury.
Mourinho has had a habit of ostracising players from his squads at previous clubs, and Ndombele was in danger of becoming another. But with 26 games played this season the former Lyon man has featured in 24, with only Eric Dier, Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Hugo Lloris playing more minutes.
He was given the number ten role earlier in the season, giving him more freedom as he built up his fitness, and brilliant performances against Manchester United and Manchester City hinted at further success down the line.
More recently, he's dropped into a deeper role.
Tottenham have come in for criticism for their inability to kill games, often conceding late on as they drop deeper and deeper, but Ndombele's new position means another attacker can be played. Against Fulham both Gareth Bale and Dele Alli were included, and while it wasn't the most fluent performance, the sheer firepower on display will be of greater benefit more often than not going forward.
It doesn't stop Ndombele whipping out his mad dribbling skills, though. His ability to consistently beat opposition players with a drop of the shoulder is remarkable and has often been the sole positive takeaway from Tottenham's matches this season. Y'know, in the games where they attacked for ten minutes, got their goal and then sat back before the eventual equaliser.
He's still got a fair way to go, but the transition from that player Mourinho publicly censured for a perceived lack of effort to the one now seen as one of the Premier League's best has been great to see.
For more from Jude Summerfield, follow him on Twitter!
Source: 90min
