Tottenham Hotspur are welcoming Brighton to their stadium this Thursday and since Jose Mourinho's troops are coming fresh from a tough defeat to Chelsea, they will definitely be looking to bounce back. And Tanguy Ndombele just might play a big part in that bout.

On the chalkboard

Spurs looked somewhat lost against Chelsea on Sunday and Frank Lampard's troops managed to secure a rather comfortable 2-0 victory under their belts.

But not all is lost and Mourinho's men can get right back on track on Boxing Day with a big performance against Brighton. Still, if they are to be successful, Ndombele simply has to be a part of things from the start.

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Spurs' 22-year-old star has been absent for a couple of their recent games through injury, and maybe his return to the XI could also give the team that much-needed boost and some wind into their sails.

Key piece

Even though they have tallied victories over Burnley and Wolverhampton Wanderers without Ndombele in their squad, his continuous efforts have pushed them over the line in the past already.

And while we are still talking about a fairly fresh signing, the 22-year-old has successfully replicated Mousa Dembele's presence in Tottenham's midfield and his fighting spirit and the control he exerts are evident.

As per WhoScored, he's averaging 30.8 passes with 84.5% accuracy and has also tallied 1.6 tackles and 0.7 interceptions per game.

He's also quite adept going the other way, scoring twice, assisting once and averaging 0.7 key passes and 1.7 dribbles per game.

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But when he's at his absolute best, he completely dominates the middle of the park, making sure he's involved in all the proceedings on the pitch and that every move Spurs make flows through him.

We've seen him in a similar role against Bournemouth when he dropped a true masterclass performance, winning 11 of his 14 total duels, and making four tackles, one interception and one clearance too.

Taking all of that into consideration, the £58.m-rated ace is both a creative spark and one that gives Spurs that defensive solidity and higher dose of control.

Mourinho should definitely take no chances and make sure Ndombele finds his way back into the starting XI come Thursday afternoon.

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