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Player Watch: Moussa Sissoko

Pizza

Active Member
May 9, 2017
151
356
His touch is no where near good enough to play centrally. He's a good athlete but a poor footballer.
More like his touch isn't good enough to play wide. He's too big and lumbering to play in an area where a lot of zip and class is needed, especially for a top 4 team.

He has a good enough combination of power, pace and dribbling to play a similar kind of role to Dembele. Again, I think he should've played more, particularly in games like West Ham away toward the end of the season. Dier and Wanyama together is too defensive for most games in my opinion.
 

glospur

Well-Known Member
May 19, 2015
2,608
9,806
More like his touch isn't good enough to play wide. He's too big and lumbering to play in an area where a lot of zip and class is needed, especially for a top 4 team.

He has a good enough combination of power, pace and dribbling to play a similar kind of role to Dembele. Again, I think he should've played more, particularly in games like West Ham away toward the end of the season. Dier and Wanyama together is too defensive for most games in my opinion.
I genuinely can not think of a more unappealing thought when it comes to Spurs than the prospect of playing Moussa Sissoko and his sledge hammer feet in a CM2. Sure he has pace and power, but nowhere near the guile, technique, discipline or skill to play in that position in our system.
 

Pizza

Active Member
May 9, 2017
151
356
I genuinely can not think of a more unappealing thought when it comes to Spurs than the prospect of playing Moussa Sissoko and his sledge hammer feet in a CM2. Sure he has pace and power, but nowhere near the guile, technique, discipline or skill to play in that position in our system.
You're exaggerating. He's not that bad.
 

yido_number1

He'll always be magic
Jun 8, 2004
8,645
16,810
You're exaggerating. He's not that bad.

He looked better at RWB but still no where near good enough for us sadly. The article above was over critical of his attitude, it's just his lumbering and incredibly bad technique that is lackng.
 

Bus-Conductor

SC Supporter
Oct 19, 2004
39,837
50,713
No?

Newcastle played him there often. He played centrally for Toulouse and France.

He played there about 5-10 times in about 200 games for Toulouse and he only played RM in a CM3 for Newcastle and that was only a few times, he mostly played as the right attacker in the 433 for them.
 

Eric_s

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2004
1,561
1,924
He played there about 5-10 times in about 200 games for Toulouse and he only played RM in a CM3 for Newcastle and that was only a few times, he mostly played as the right attacker in the 433 for them.

Disagree. He was known as a central midfielder in France.
 

Bus-Conductor

SC Supporter
Oct 19, 2004
39,837
50,713
Disagree. He was known as a central midfielder in France.

He really wasn't. He started off under Baup and was stuck into CM next to Emana for a handful of games at most, Baup was sacked that season (and playing Sissoko as a dm couldn't have helped), Casanova came in and put Capoue as the DM in a 4141 diamond and switched Sissoko to a more attacking role playing in the rotating 4 ahead of Capoue, sometimes as one of the dual 8's but also just behind the striker, with Didot invariably as the other more defensive minded player of the bunch (although Didot was also a cracking little footballer like a poor mans Cabaye if you like).

Very occasionally after that, if players were out injured or whatnot Sissoko might play the odd match with a more defensive remit, but not very often at all.
 

YiddoTom90

Well-Known Member
Feb 9, 2015
1,456
2,051
More like his touch isn't good enough to play wide. He's too big and lumbering to play in an area where a lot of zip and class is needed, especially for a top 4 team.

He has a good enough combination of power, pace and dribbling to play a similar kind of role to Dembele. Again, I think he should've played more, particularly in games like West Ham away toward the end of the season. Dier and Wanyama together is too defensive for most games in my opinion.
please for the love of god dont compare him with dembele..... Especially with the dribbling alone.
 

punkisback

Well-Known Member
Apr 10, 2004
4,410
7,278
I don't even think he's much of an athlete at all. Yes he's big but he doesn't have the acceleration that all good wingers do. He's got the slow steady sprint of a centre back lumbering out of defence. Dier or wanyama could probably do a better job on the wing than he could.
 

steve

Well-Known Member
Oct 21, 2003
3,503
1,767
Just wasn't the player we needed and I don't buy the ' Levy signed him not Poch ' stuff I hear occasionally. There's no way Levy paid massive money on a 27 year old that the manager didn't want, that isn't Levy's style at all. He was probably on the list of potential signings but maybe not top (Zaha?) and Poch would've wanted him once his first choice(s) weren't available.

I think Poch reacted to the season before and especially our finish to it which saw players like Mason and Carroll filling in for the likes of Dembele and Dier and I think he saw us as a bit lightweight physically once we got past the first 11. Wanyama and Sissoko are obvious biffers and fitted the bill.

If we'd never signed Sissoko we wouldn't have suffered one bit this season - if we can sell we should as his price will not get any better at Spurs (unless some miracle happens), he's getting older and one poor season won't damage his stock too badly. Another poor season will.

I don't want to see the likes of Winks, Josh or Edwards having their development stifled by expensive mistakes - improve the squad by all means but that is becoming increasingly difficult such is the quality we already have, hopefully Poch has learnt from the Sissoko signing and if we can't get the right players then we stick with what we have.

Personally I'd like to see an Eriksen type targeted if possible, easier said than done I know, but he's the one we don't have an obvious replacement for should he get injured. Not sure who that is though i'll be honest.
 

Indacupfortottenham

Well-Known Member
Jan 17, 2013
1,110
1,955
Just wasn't the player we needed and I don't buy the ' Levy signed him not Poch ' stuff I hear occasionally. There's no way Levy paid massive money on a 27 year old that the manager didn't want, that isn't Levy's style at all. He was probably on the list of potential signings but maybe not top (Zaha?) and Poch would've wanted him once his first choice(s) weren't available.

I think Poch reacted to the season before and especially our finish to it which saw players like Mason and Carroll filling in for the likes of Dembele and Dier and I think he saw us as a bit lightweight physically once we got past the first 11. Wanyama and Sissoko are obvious biffers and fitted the bill.

If we'd never signed Sissoko we wouldn't have suffered one bit this season - if we can sell we should as his price will not get any better at Spurs (unless some miracle happens), he's getting older and one poor season won't damage his stock too badly. Another poor season will.

I don't want to see the likes of Winks, Josh or Edwards having their development stifled by expensive mistakes - improve the squad by all means but that is becoming increasingly difficult such is the quality we already have, hopefully Poch has learnt from the Sissoko signing and if we can't get the right players then we stick with what we have.

Personally I'd like to see an Eriksen type targeted if possible, easier said than done I know, but he's the one we don't have an obvious replacement for should he get injured. Not sure who that is though i'll be honest.



Think Mane was top of the list, still gutted we didn't get him instead of sissoko - You win some you lose some, and Wanyama was a big win, he's worth what we paid for sissoko and vice versa.
 

steve

Well-Known Member
Oct 21, 2003
3,503
1,767
Think Mane was top of the list, still gutted we didn't get him instead of sissoko - You win some you lose some, and Wanyama was a big win, he's worth what we paid for sissoko and vice versa.
Forgot about Mane. Don't disagree on Wan at all. Just didn't see (and let's be honest nor did many others) the attraction of Sissoko just positing an opinion on why Poch could've gone for him. Let's hope he's learnt from it because we can't afford too many expensive mistakes in the same way City can for example.
 

Hoddle_Ledge

Well-Known Member
Sep 20, 2005
9,999
5,493
He just scored a goal for France. An actual goal in an actual professional football match.

Then again Giroud also just scored a hat-trick in the same match so it says a lot about the opposition.

https://t.co/yDSzxIoUET
 
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Clark28

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2016
2,269
13,040
Hope he moves on, not because I have ill feelings towards him, but i'd rather his minutes go into our younger players.
 

TottenhamMattSpur

Well-Known Member
Aug 31, 2012
10,925
16,007
What exactly did people expect when we signed him? 20 goals and a dozen assists?

He was bought to be a rougher upper, to point him at the opposition and let him run them around. He's chipped in with a few assists and half decent contributions.
Yes he was over priced but we needed another big strong lad. I wish I could find a video clip of him winning the ball at RB vs Leicester and holding off 3 players before dribbling forwarrd then releasing Kane with a lovely little pass.
That's what he can do and, as others have alluded to, isn't too dissimilar to Dembélé if not as good.
 
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