Player Watch: Moussa Sissoko
- Thread starter Hoops
- Start date
NeverRed
Active Member
- Mar 24, 2005
- 711
- 895
Agreed + I actually thought he was ok yesterday - showed some strength and was difficult for any man up against him 1v1. Could have been more driven/direct at times and wasn't '£30m light up the stadium' level, but I'm sure not as bad as is being made out. SC loves a fall guy.
danielneeds
Kick-Ass
- May 5, 2004
- 24,183
- 48,814
At moment it's quite clear that he's playing it safe, in terms of what he does in possession. Without the ball
he's being judicious and working hard. It looks to me of someone who's still a bit tentative in his surroundings and wants to please his team-mates and boss.
Hopefully, we'll see him get a bit more confident and go on some of those Raging Bull runs with the ball, defenders bouncing off him like barley being mown down in a field.
he's being judicious and working hard. It looks to me of someone who's still a bit tentative in his surroundings and wants to please his team-mates and boss.
Hopefully, we'll see him get a bit more confident and go on some of those Raging Bull runs with the ball, defenders bouncing off him like barley being mown down in a field.
Romulus
Well-Known Member
- Jun 14, 2012
- 7,028
- 11,272
the thing about Sissoko is he is very, very degradable which is why i was against us signing him for the price we did. for that price i was expecting somebody to be an instant upgrade to the first 11 and not be a squad player. i wish him all the best though but fear in a years time we will be looking to upgrade
EastLondonYid
Well-Known Member
- Jan 26, 2010
- 7,837
- 16,145
Poch is a top top coach....
Top coaches build top teams, they have a plan, Sissoko is part of that plan, we are unbeaten and have made the best start to a season since 1961 even without several key players....
So lets look at the wider picture....Sissoko is doing a job.in a succesfull TEAM.be it he hasn't set the world alight.
Give the guy a chance ffs....
Top coaches build top teams, they have a plan, Sissoko is part of that plan, we are unbeaten and have made the best start to a season since 1961 even without several key players....
So lets look at the wider picture....Sissoko is doing a job.in a succesfull TEAM.be it he hasn't set the world alight.
Give the guy a chance ffs....
tooey
60% banana
- Apr 22, 2005
- 5,234
- 7,969
He certainly needs work defensively, he needs to learn to tuck in and marshal the inside when Walker goes with the wide player, or do the opposite when Walker tucks in. Initial impressions of him haven't been great but he has the physical attributes to be an absolute nightmare for the opposition.
Blake Griffin
Well-Known Member
- Oct 3, 2011
- 14,166
- 38,466
perhaps but the problem is he's a proven mediocre attacking midfielder in his mid 20s.
In the last couple of seasons he hasn't been that consistent, but he'd had to contend with playing for a complete basketcase of a club in Newcastle with some extremely poor managers.
When he first arrived at Newcastle and in his first couple of seasons he was very good IMO and under Benitez at the back end of last season he was very good, then he was outstanding in the euros, so it's a bit of a disservice to say that he's proven mediocre. I'd say he was a proven competent PL attacking midfielder with proven ability to attack defences with pace and create and score goals.
guiltyparty
Well-Known Member
- Sep 21, 2005
- 9,023
- 13,524
The price of scapegoats is going up...
He's on a hiding to nothing at that price. He'd have to turn into a completely different player overnight to justify it for some.
Still think he'll be useful and hasn't been as bad as some say. I'm still a bit "trust in Poch" on this one
I've always said I'd rather have the option than not, but that said, I was ribbing my Everton mate about him when it seemed nailed on he was going there. Fine margins.
It does if you buy smart, I.e Toby.
30 million is a record fee for us, it's not peanuts.
ernest_lowrider
Well-Known Member
- May 31, 2012
- 481
- 2,132
In my opinion he is a player who is much better against teams who play way more open football than WBA did yesterday. He can be really good when given a space, but is not really effective against teams dropping that deep.
Blake Griffin
Well-Known Member
- Oct 3, 2011
- 14,166
- 38,466
fair enough but i think that's a very generous appraisal of him as a player and one i'm not sure you'd hold if he'd been our player for the past four years, especially the part about him having a proven ability to score goals when he has 11 in 123 pl games and 1 in 48 for france.
Shadydan
Well-Known Member
- Jul 7, 2012
- 38,247
- 104,143
If he had been our player of the last 4 years then it's highly doubtful he'd be as shit as he was at Newcastle, think that's his point.
TottenhamMattSpur
Well-Known Member
- Aug 31, 2012
- 10,925
- 16,007
It's hard to look good against 10 men repeatedly hoofing the ball clear.
Let's all forget WBA
Let's all forget WBA
mpickard2087
Patient Zero
- Jun 13, 2008
- 21,900
- 32,611
My concern is that, having seen a lot of him previously and now his initial starts, I don't see how what he does fits into what the team does. Particularly in the wide role that he's been stationed in so far. HIs good game so far (vs. City) was basically due to him just being an additional energy presence in the middle of the park and putting himself about being a nuisance breaking up play if he could. But that's not always needed.
He's the straightest of straight lines player. There's very little finesse, it often looks pretty clumsy (even during the times he's effective). He's a big lad who can mix it when he's focused and he can run all day, but whilst he's athletic he's more of a power runner who is dangerous when he's built up a head of steam rather than through acceleration. And I've never known him to be renowned for any crossing ability or trickery on the flanks.
He's hard to pigeonhole but I'm not sure how he's ended up as a wide player. I assume its because during this time of prevalence towards 4-2-3-1 (particularly in his Newcastle teams) he isn't often disciplined enough to play in the cm2, he hasn't got the finesse or technical ability to play as the No.10, and so onto the flanks he goes in order to try and make use of his running ability. When you're at a club where games are end to end and you can counter attack this might even work. At one of the big clubs this space isn't going to exist in games, so this wide role is far less likely to be effective. Also, I swear Newcastle always played him on the left, so at least he was driving infield onto his stronger right foot...
For us I cant see the right midfield role working for him. I've always thought he's a cm3 player who chips in with a bit of everything and it allows him to pick the ball up deeper and carry it forward. In our current 4-1-4-1 set up that would mean replacing Alli I guess, Sissoko playing more withdrawn with Eriksen playing a little higher. You're losing a goal and box threat though so I'd be reluctant to do that.
Personally I feel the way he plays, and that he is so 'straight lines', his best bet for us should theoretically be as right back just getting up and down the flank. But I doubt that is ever going to happen.
He's the straightest of straight lines player. There's very little finesse, it often looks pretty clumsy (even during the times he's effective). He's a big lad who can mix it when he's focused and he can run all day, but whilst he's athletic he's more of a power runner who is dangerous when he's built up a head of steam rather than through acceleration. And I've never known him to be renowned for any crossing ability or trickery on the flanks.
He's hard to pigeonhole but I'm not sure how he's ended up as a wide player. I assume its because during this time of prevalence towards 4-2-3-1 (particularly in his Newcastle teams) he isn't often disciplined enough to play in the cm2, he hasn't got the finesse or technical ability to play as the No.10, and so onto the flanks he goes in order to try and make use of his running ability. When you're at a club where games are end to end and you can counter attack this might even work. At one of the big clubs this space isn't going to exist in games, so this wide role is far less likely to be effective. Also, I swear Newcastle always played him on the left, so at least he was driving infield onto his stronger right foot...
For us I cant see the right midfield role working for him. I've always thought he's a cm3 player who chips in with a bit of everything and it allows him to pick the ball up deeper and carry it forward. In our current 4-1-4-1 set up that would mean replacing Alli I guess, Sissoko playing more withdrawn with Eriksen playing a little higher. You're losing a goal and box threat though so I'd be reluctant to do that.
Personally I feel the way he plays, and that he is so 'straight lines', his best bet for us should theoretically be as right back just getting up and down the flank. But I doubt that is ever going to happen.
