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Player Watch: Moussa Sissoko

SpunkyBackpack

Well-Known Member
Dec 8, 2005
7,831
9,372
He was getting at them and being a pain in the arse which was good, unfortunately he was also a pain in the arse to us whenever he had or was near the ball.

It's quite a talent to be fair, to be a real thorn in the side of both teams at the same time.
 

Vincent30

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
900
3,694
Fair play to Sissoko yesterday, for the life of me i don't see why most people can't see that he is a CM not a RM or wide player. You know what, the balance of our team, the attacking fluidity and the amount of times we looked dangerous in this game had a big part to playing a second CM that showed balls and played higher up the pitch.

Yes he doesn't have a great touch, or will he ever be the most creative, but some of his bursts and movement really opened up Everton and he was a big part for why we looked so dangerous finally.

I know it's popular to get likes on here by slagging him off, but i actually think he can be a decent squad player in that position for us this year. He deserves a lot of credit for his performance yesterday considering our fans have hardly taken to him and his confidence must be the lowest it's been in a while. Poch isn't an idiot so the guy must be really applying himself in training and we should try to see the positives instead of the slagging off and laughing at him which is childish really.

I will continue to support him whilst he continues to try for this team. Really happy with the result yesterday, very tough away game and the Dier / Sissoko combination worked a treat, many (including myself) were pretty damn worried about that prior to kick off.
 

'O Zio

Well-Known Member
Dec 27, 2014
7,405
13,785
It clearly is and it clearly will be if it gets the best out of our team and our players, Poch isn't stupid, he knows what he was buying into when he bought Sissoko and he knows what he's doing when he's playing him. Him not being comfortable and squandering opportunities is a trade of for his direct running and the distraction he causes for opposition defenders. Not really sure how you work out his contribution was very little when you acknowledge that Eriksen had 4/5 chances due to the space being created, I'd say that warrants some form of contribution.

Firstly, I said Eriksen had 5 or 6 chances as a result of Sissoko's "dummy runs" for argument's sake, it was probably far less than that. Second, I mean his contribution was very little because even if he had helped to create those chances, by squandering equally as many chances it cancels itself out. If you create 5 chances but fuck up 5 chances then overall you've contributed nothing.
 

Shadydan

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2012
38,247
104,143
Firstly, I said Eriksen had 5 or 6 chances as a result of Sissoko's "dummy runs" for argument's sake, it was probably far less than that. Second, I mean his contribution was very little because even if he had helped to create those chances, by squandering equally as many chances it cancels itself out. If you create 5 chances but fuck up 5 chances then overall you've contributed nothing.

This is great but your argument is a little too simplistic as you're not taking into account the normal passages of play where for example Eriksen was free to receive the ball in space and start an attack or create a chance himself for example which won't tally up in the stats. If you want to take overall contribution into account then you need to anaylse his game far more than just merely making runs to create direct chances. If his overall contribution was nothing then I'd wager that he'd probably get hooked at half time but it's pretty safe to say that Poch saw a weakness in the Everton defence and Eriksen was getting joy from the space that was being created for him.
 

schwinebikkje

Member
Aug 31, 2012
23
46
Firstly, I said Eriksen had 5 or 6 chances as a result of Sissoko's "dummy runs" for argument's sake, it was probably far less than that. Second, I mean his contribution was very little because even if he had helped to create those chances, by squandering equally as many chances it cancels itself out. If you create 5 chances but fuck up 5 chances then overall you've contributed nothing.
If you create 5 chances in one game, I think you've had a pretty good game to be fair.
 

JayB

Well-Known Member
Aug 24, 2011
6,652
26,046
I think the inclusion of a central midfield shuttler yesterday was an absolute revelation. I watched the match again this morning and was struck by how disruptive Sissoko's running of the channels was to Everton. It caused chaos over and over and over again, he got into so many good positions only to waste the opportunities it was unbelievable.

While I'm skeptical that Sissoko himself will ever come good (his touch and footballing intelligence are absolutely woeful, how fucking difficult is it to stay on side when you're looking directly across the back line), I'm convinced after re-watching the match that the role he played yesterday is the direction Poch will take the side moving forward, at least against teams that sit back against us. Dembele is a beast who almost always dominates the central midfield battle but his languid style and preference for horizontal dribbling and passing slows down our play and allows opposing defenses to get back in position, stymieing our attack. Having a player aggressively making vertical runs drags defenders all over the place and opens up all kinds of space for the likes of Eriksen, Alli, Kane and the wingbacks.

If by some miracle Poch is able to coax a bit of composure out of Sissoko he could be absolutely deadly. It's more likely IMO that we'll see another player with better end product step into that role and absolutely flourish. It seems ready-made for Ross Barkley, who is adept at taking defenders on and driving forward vertically, but who also has the quality to make the opportunities count. It's a really exciting development IMO.
 

ajspurs

Well-Known Member
Jul 7, 2007
22,986
31,166
His execution was damn poor at times but he was at least looking to do all the right things and it was actually really refreshing to see a central midfielder with a bit of forward movement and surging runs. Hopefully will see him play there and not on the right and the more he'll feature in that position then the tidier he'll probably become.
 

BringBack_leGin

Well-Known Member
Jul 28, 2004
27,719
54,929
Firstly, I said Eriksen had 5 or 6 chances as a result of Sissoko's "dummy runs" for argument's sake, it was probably far less than that. Second, I mean his contribution was very little because even if he had helped to create those chances, by squandering equally as many chances it cancels itself out. If you create 5 chances but fuck up 5 chances then overall you've contributed nothing.

So if Kane scores two goals but misses two sitters, the two goals don't count?
 

Sandros Shiny Head

Well-Known Member
Aug 20, 2013
4,794
8,765
Don't see how missing his 2 chances is proof he had a shit game, when was the last time Dembele even had a free header 6 yards out in open play? Give the guy credit where its due, he did his job as a box to box mid pretty well
 

Krule

Carpe Diem
Jun 4, 2017
4,534
8,686
To sum up Sissoko's performance............God loves a trier....Poch isn't God (Honest !).....
Match Report "Tries hard could do better."
 

muppetman

Well-Known Member
Jul 29, 2011
8,899
24,801
I think he caused chaos for the Everton midfield which allowed Eriksen in particular to see a lot of ball and have time to pick a pass which I suspect Koeman really didn't want to happen.

I don't think anyone is saying he is a £30M footballer, however I'd argue he had a better game than Dele yesterday - more importantly if he continues to follow Poch's instructions then there will be more opportunities for him to play and thus get into/stay in the France squad.
 

NinjaTuna

Well-Known Member
Jul 9, 2017
1,878
7,155
As others have pointed out, you can't deny he's a very good professional. Has never sulked or shown the abuse he receives has got the better of him. Hopefully he builds on his performance yesterday and when/if he gets into similar goal-scoring positions, he keeps his nerve and slots them in. Hopefully it'll do his confidence a world of good, scoring for us
 

TottenhamMattSpur

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
10,925
16,007
Thought he looked good and positive when he came on against Burnley and followed it up well yesterday.

I feel he gets singled out for errors because people are looking for it. They miss Kane missing 3 un-obstructed shots on goal, Dele kicking air, Eriksen passing to an opposition player but there they are, making a mental note of every thing Sissoko does wrong. Whilst not paying attention to any good he does.

It's a bit like noticing that one BMW that didn't indicate whilst being oblivious to the 27 that did and the 34 Mondeo's that didn't.
 

Larryjanta

Well-Known Member
Apr 22, 2014
1,953
5,040
Thought he was fine yesterday and he's definitely better in that role than playing wide right or, god forbid, wingback.

If we can get Barkley, Sissoko will be sold IMO - the role that Sissoko played yesterday is tailor made for Barkley IMO and Poch will turn him into a beast there
 

JonnySpurs

SC Veteran
Jun 4, 2004
5,345
12,398
It's a looooong shot but it would be great if someone could do a compilation of his game vs Everton. I don't have the means to watch the whole game back unless someone can provide a link to a 90 min replay?
 

Eric_s

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2004
1,561
1,924
why this season is ‘totally different’
Date published: Monday 11th September 2017 12:10
Moussa Sissoko has explained that his lack of a pre-season for Tottenham saw him struggle in his debut campaign.

Sissoko flattered to deceive after arriving for £30million last August, starting just 12 games in all competitions.

His late arrival on deadline day, combined with featuring at Euro 2016 for finalists France, meant that he did not have a pre-season for either Spurs or former club Newcastle.

Having already started two Premier League games this season, the 28-year-old is expecting a more productive season.

“This season is totally different because I had the pre-season with the team,” he told Yahoo. “Last season I signed at the last minute and didn’t have the pre-season so it was difficult.

“Now I feel good and ready to fight, like everyone, and to try to give my best for the team. I hope I will do well this season and we will all do well in the league, in the Champions League and in the cups.

“When you start you’re always happy. The manager gave me my chance [on Saturday] and I tried to give my best. I think I did well, like all the team, so I’m happy.

“I had some chances but didn’t score. I hope next time it will be in, but the most important thing was to have a good game. I hope my goal will come soon.”

On new signing Serge Aurier, Sissoko added: “Everyone knows him because he played for Paris Saint-Germain and he’s played some massive games in the Champions League as well.

“He’s a very good player who’s strong defensively and can attack as well. With the style we play, I think he will be comfortable in the team.

“I can say he’s a similar player [to Kyle Walker]. He will be good for us, he will help us to go as high as possible. We have a lot of ambition this season and I hope we will do well all together.”


He has a good attitude. Hope he will play a part in a successful season for Spurs.
 
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