Anyone who has followed the north London club in recent times will be familiar with it.
Chadli was one of several expensive acquisitions from abroad signed in summer 2013 and ultimately tasked with helping to replace departed talisman Gareth Bale.
Switched between wide and central positions in his intermittent playing opportunities, the Belgium international struggled to make an impression in the Premier League. The process, of course, was not aided by the tumult at Tottenham, exacerbated by the mid-season change in managers.
Chadli still contributed five goals and five assists, though, while spring-time games against Arsenal and Benfica were notable for an unprecedented confidence about his work. Coupled with a positive World Cup experience, he had set himself up to push on this time around.
This writer will admit this was not so apparent to him at the beginning of 2014-15. Chadli's late return meant he was out of sight and partly out of mind. What others vying for the same spots--those involved in pre-season such as Erik Lamela-- might do were more obvious, immediate storylines.
Recently appointed head coach Mauricio Pochettino was, unsurprisingly, more sensitive to indications of who was shaping up to be better suited for what he had in mind for his Spurs team.
Through training-ground observations and details learned from undoubted tape sessions studying his inherited squad, the Argentinian evidently liked what he saw in Chadli.
Despite just one appearance thus far for his new boss (away at Limassol in the Europa League), the attacking midfielder was selected for the August 24 home game with Queens Park Rangers.
Fast forward to Tottenham's New Year's Day win over QPR's west London neighbours Chelsea. Chadli's excellent performance was an even more substantial realisation of his role in Pochettino's set-up that was so tantalisingly teased in August.
Chadli's brace in the 4-0 defeat of the Hoops served to reiterate his eye for goal after his handful of strikes in 2013-14. The assured presence who teed Harry Kane up for one and scored a goal of his own against the Blues was subsequently no surprise.
More startling was the degree to which Spurs--with Chadli playing a prominent part--dribbled, maneuvered and powered their way through one of England's strongest resistances. It bore a striking resemblance to the way they had dispatched QPR and was even more impressive for Jose Mourinho's men being a much better team than Harry Redknapp's.
Fluid in their movement and interchanges of position, Spurs maximised it with the timely manner in which they passed. Plenty of their possession--or, more pertinently, the spells in which they quietened Chelsea--was a result of studied attempts to close their defence and midfield down as quickly as possible.
Chadli had a field day seizing on the opportunities created by all this.
Pochettino was sensibly keen not to get carried away with the latter victory but still praised his players all the same.
"I think in the last few months we have started to show character and the right mentality," he told his club's official website. "Every day we try to improve and we need to go step by step, to continue working hard and believe in our way."
The sparkling implementation of his football philosophy in its fullest, most entertaining version yet is genuine cause for optimism, though. Especially against one of the top-four sides Spurs had been unable to get the better of for a good 18 months.
Even as the north Londoners struggled to find a cohesive attacking identity, Chadli has proved one of their more reliable performers. He gave them the lead at Arsenal, was instrumental in a much-needed win over Southampton and helped instigate their successful comeback against Aston Villa.
As this Tottenham side has continued to develop, Chadli has helped ensure their heads do not go too often below water. Now they are looking like a genuine top-four-bothering prospect with hopes of maybe even winning a cup, the 25-year-old is in prime position to be involved.
Chadli, as much as anyone, will understand that new projects take time. He is an example why we would all be smarter for having more patience with them.
Source: thelema-and-faith.blogspot.com
