Tottenham’s Dembélé Ready for Premier League Action

Mousa Dembélé has been training in anticipation of his Premier League return with Tottenham.

With Mousa Dembélé’s six-match suspension over, the Tottenham central midfielder is raring to go on Sunday afternoon when Spurs host Sunderland.

A main fixture in Mauricio Pochettino’s starting lineup, the Belgian international’s presence has been sorely missed since last May against Southampon when his ban took effect.

Now that Dembélé has returned, he’s happy to help Spurs get back to their winning ways.

“It’s been a few months where I haven’t played for Tottenham so I’m delighted to be back,” Dembélé said (via Spurs’ official site).

“I’ve trained hard here but of course it’s never the same, you want to play games, you want to be involved so it’s not easy but I’m happy now and against Monaco I was happy that the fans really supported me and sung my name.”

In six matches that Spurs have played without Dembélé (two to end last season, four to begin this year), it’s not surprising that Tottenham picked up only one win, with two draws and two losses.

Mousa Dembélé brings balance to Spurs’ central midfield and not having him hurt.

His ability to protect the back four while easily transitioning to offense when Spurs win possession of the ball is what Victor Wanyama and Dele Alli have not be able to reproduce in Dembélé’s absence.

Both players are on opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of what Dembélé can do.

Wanyama is a capable defender but is not able to offer much offensively without leaving Eric Dier out to dry. The Kenyan international is a defender first and foremost.

Alli on the other hand, would add another threat going forward but gets caught out of position when the opposition goes on a counterattack because he ventures further up the pitch. The 20-year-old’s main contribution to Spurs is providing goals and assists not tackles, interceptions and clearing the ball away.

Because of Mousa Dembélé’s suspension, Spurs have played below their standards.

They’re fortunate enough to not suffer a defeat, twice earning a one-all draw against Everton and Liverpool. It has seen them remain undefeated thus far to begin the 2016-17 Premier League season, but Spurs haven’t looked like title contenders yet.

The 29-year-old’s absence can’t be overstated. But now that he is back, Tottenham should finally start seeing better performances than has been seen up to his point (sans their 4-0 victory over Stoke City).

More from Hotspur HQ

• Storybook ending after difficult period for Tottenahm’s Richarlison
• Tottenham comeback showcased invaluable intangible Ange has cultivated
• Tottenham player ratings in 2-1 comeback win over Sheffield United
• Tottenham projected starting 11 for Sheffield United
• Tottenham’s Richarlison says he’s going to seek psychological help

One concern for Dembélé is that he has only gotten minimal playing time with Belgium after missing the majoirty of the Euros with injury. But despite not getting many minutes under his belt, the Belgian midfielder has been training hard.

“In five months, I think I’ve had two times 45 minutes so I haven’t had a lot of games but here at the Club I’ve made sure that I’ve trained very hard,” Mousa Dembélé said.

“Mentally as well, I feel ready and I am focused to be important for the team. I think we’ve started well in the Premier League.”

The [Stoke] game is the most fresh in my mind, that was amazing with the way we played and I think it can only become better.”

“Of course, the other teams have strengthened but I think, for us, we are better than last year. The mentality is right, we’ve added quality to the group and that can only be positive. We just need to be focused.”

Next: Tottenham Set to Blossom as Mousa Dembélé Returns

Spurs will be looking to continue their undefeated start to the season with their second consecutive win in the Premier League. And helping them along the way will be Mousa Dembélé.

His 45 minute showing against Monaco on Wednesday night showed that Dembélé isn’t rusty after five months away from domestic football. Which is a good sign to see.