Has he lived up to his promise at Spurs?
It took a bid of £15m from Tottenham back in 2012 to allow the highly thought of Belgian to trade his West London surroundings for that of N17. After scoring on his full home debut and impressing early on in the Premier League it was understandable that many in and around the club felt they had really struck gold with this capture.
For all the hype at the start of his Spurs career, Dembele has never really lived up to his full potential. Rather than a shining light in a talented Tottenham midfield, he has sunk into being a squad player and an also-ran. I personally think someone with the class and ability that Dembele clearly possesses can do better.
The frustration is that Dembele could so clearly be that world class box-to-box midfielder that Spurs so badly need, but his qualities are often masked by inconsistency. Spurs have been criticised for being laborious and negative this season, something that just doesn’t seem to be compatible with the way Dembele often plays. At his best driving forwards and evading defenders with consummate ease, Spurs fans must wonder why this star doesn’t turn up week in week out.
Indeed Spurs have played best under AVB with Dembele and Sandro at the heart of proceedings. At the start of last season it was the destructive capabilities of the Brazilian and Dembele’s cultured forward play that made Spurs such a dynamic force in the early stages. Many put Champions League failure down to Sandro’s injury, not just because they lost their best defensive midfielder but also because it broke up a partnership that was working so well for the club.
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Dembele has never been able to recapture any real semblance of his early form, still clearly adept but just not living up to his promise. It is difficult to pinpoint a specific reason for his underwhelming showings; a persistent hip problem was a cause for concern last term and it doesn’t appear to be issue that has ever been resolved. Dembele has a pretty original style of running but that aside he has never looked fully fit; continually hauled off after 60 minutes or so, is Dembele still playing through pain?
The statisticians amongst you will already be aware of the Belgian’s woeful goal and assist record, just the sole League goal to date. This isn’t something to be concerned about, Spurs’ best midfielder in recent times Luka Modric hardly rocked the charts with consistent goals or assists. This is all part and parcel of being a deep-lying midfielder, often contributing the pass before the assist rather than the incisive ball itself. So far this season Spurs have looked devoid of any creativity from deep, both Dembele and Paulinho have been woefully negative and circumspect, not characteristics of Spurs team of old I might add.
There have already been calls to play Holtby deeper or even to re-enter the market in January for a new deep-lying midfielder. Considering how competitive the midfield at Spurs already is, it is high time Dembele stepped up to the plate.
Another mediocre showing at the weekend saw Dembele substituted for Sandro in a bid to sure up an apparently porous Spurs midfield line. Whether it was tactical or performance related, there appears to be genuine concern from AVB on this one. For the first time that I can remember the Belgian was continually caught in possession and generally pretty weak in the tackle, add to this a toothless attacking display and you begin to wonder what he is actually adding to the club.
Frustrations appear to have spilled over, quoted recently in Belgian newspaper Nieuwsblade , Dembele expressed his concerns:
“I cannot be satisfied with it, of course, I just want to play as many games. The coach explained that he makes a tactical choice, he wants more defensive players in midfield.”
Dembele has been given ample opportunity at Spurs, and to be frustrated with his playing time is more his problem than it is the clubs. We have seen glimpses of his brilliance in the last year or so, but for a £15m player Spurs should expect so much more. As it stand he is no more than a decent midfield option and I believe that he has the potential to offer the club a lot more. At his best he plays the cultured style of football synonymous with the club and until he starts offering this consistently he will struggle to nail down a place week in week out.
Is it time for Dembele to shape up?
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