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Player Watch: Moussa Sissoko

BringBack_leGin

Well-Known Member
Jul 28, 2004
27,719
54,929
I think with everyone fit most our midfield will pretty much always include Højbjerg and Lo Celso with one of Dele/ Winks depending on opposition. Sissoko and Lamela I imagine will be primarily off the bench options who only really start due to the need to rest players, injuries, suspensions etc.

I’d much rather Ndombele had one of those two players spots, but that will only happen if Mourinho feels he will offer whatever an acceptable level of determination and commitment is.
 

samsonlevi

Well-Known Member
Dec 13, 2005
962
3,539
He’s done better than I thought after his first and second season. He stepped up when others didn’t and that will always be appreciated.

But and it’s a big BUT, he is simply not good enough technically or tactically. He also does not offer himself as a pass option enough for our own players. All of this results in us having to bypass him and our own midfield when in possession.

He’s good at being an engine in midfield when we don’t have the ball but unless we want to be a mid table team.... we need better.
 

southlondonyiddo

My eyes have seen some of the glory..
Nov 8, 2004
12,599
15,012
He’s done better than I thought after his first and second season. He stepped up when others didn’t and that will always be appreciated.

But and it’s a big BUT, he is simply not good enough technically or tactically. He also does not offer himself as a pass option enough for our own players. All of this results in us having to bypass him and our own midfield when in possession.

He’s good at being an engine in midfield when we don’t have the ball but unless we want to be a mid table team.... we need better.

So how do you explain the fact that we’ve been top 4 pretty much the entire time Moussa has been in the side and since Jose became manager we’re top 4

I agree with a lot of what you say in principle but the reality is he’s a monster with an amazing engine and in the right system with the right players around him he’s a great asset

Seems a perfect fit for Jose who’ll give him a specific role each game and which opposition player would want to be facing up to him
 

chrissivad

Staff
May 20, 2005
51,646
58,072
So how do you explain the fact that we’ve been top 4 pretty much the entire time Moussa has been in the side and since Jose became manager we’re top 4

I agree with a lot of what you say in principle but the reality is he’s a monster with an amazing engine and in the right system with the right players around him he’s a great asset

Seems a perfect fit for Jose who’ll give him a specific role each game and which opposition player would want to be facing up to him

We have also done the same with Winks. But we need to improve the cm that has been poor for a few seasons now.

He does bring some qualities to the squad, but we must be able to find someone younger who can offer some speed and strength while being able to pass a ball.
 

fridgemagnet

Well-Known Member
Jan 18, 2009
2,410
2,864
I still find it fucking amazing he was given that contract. Absolutely furious about it. No point giving him a new contract to get a better price in the market if nobody is willing to pay it for a poor player.

Im sure he’s a nice guy and a great pro but there Is no other reason to keep him around.

The thing is he'd earned an improved contract on the back of being our best player that season (in a lot of peoples eyes)
I forget how long he had left but say it was two years, if we'd had to sell him on the cheap as a result there'd have been no end of complaints toward DL selling our best players again.
Remember Sissoko had improved enough to go from being vilified every match to a crowd favourite.

A case of; balls waxed if you do, shaved perineum if you don't. :bag:
 

DogsOfWar

Well-Known Member
Jan 12, 2005
2,292
3,603
I think we'll see Sissoko next to PEH on more than a few occasions next season and I can see them absolutely bossing the middle.
As long as we have four decent players ahead of them to give it to I don't see a problem.
 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
57,391
I appreciate what he's done for us and how well he's turned his career around, but if a decent offer came in while he's still worth something it would be crazy to ignore it.
 

Strikeb4ck

Well-Known Member
Aug 8, 2010
4,483
9,409
I think Jose sees him as much an option in the middle as on the right side (depending on the opponent). And I don't think it's a bad idea.
 

samsonlevi

Well-Known Member
Dec 13, 2005
962
3,539
So how do you explain the fact that we’ve been top 4 pretty much the entire time Moussa has been in the side and since Jose became manager we’re top 4

I agree with a lot of what you say in principle but the reality is he’s a monster with an amazing engine and in the right system with the right players around him he’s a great asset

Seems a perfect fit for Jose who’ll give him a specific role each game and which opposition player would want to be facing up to him
I’d explain that currently we are scraping through our games and getting a result out of a lot of them through a mixture of good fortune and A tactical performance which means we have to surrender possession to the opposition in order to counter.

However, I personally believe that it will be hard to maintain this points per game over the duration of a season unless we learn to be creative in possession whilst being the dominant team.

I agree that he can be a useful asset, especially when we do not have a lot of possession. But I do not believe we should have a player in the team who we have to Almost exclude from our plan of play when we have possession. Arguably some teams use their goalkeepers more in possession then we use sissoko and that’s due to his lack of ability on the ball.

there is no reason why we shouldn’t aspire to have a player who can do what sissoko does plus can contribute more to our play.
 

AllReb

Apprentice Tipster
Jun 12, 2019
903
1,610
If the boss wants to keep him I have no problem with him staying.

Exactly

I know technically he’s not great and he can’t shoot etc but he does a job and puts 100% in wherever he’s asked to play

Keep him as a squad player
 

Johnny J

Not the Kiwi you need but the one you deserve
Aug 18, 2012
18,124
47,898
Love his attitude but he's just not good enough technically. He hides from the ball and it creates a huge problem in the heart of our midfield. He can't pass, he can't shoot, he can't receive the ball under pressure, he can't resist a press, and he doesn't show for the ball. There's no way he should be in our midfield if we're serious about getting CL again, given the competition around us, including Wolves.
 

SPURSLIFE

Well-Known Member
Jul 21, 2011
1,578
2,132
So how do you explain the fact that we’ve been top 4 pretty much the entire time Moussa has been in the side and since Jose became manager we’re top 4

I agree with a lot of what you say in principle but the reality is he’s a monster with an amazing engine and in the right system with the right players around him he’s a great asset

Seems a perfect fit for Jose who’ll give him a specific role each game and which opposition player would want to be facing up to him
I think he's strong but has no outstanding ability. I love his aggression but there is very little end product.
 

joey55

Well-Known Member
May 20, 2005
9,675
3,091
So how do you explain the fact that we’ve been top 4 pretty much the entire time Moussa has been in the side

Before that we were in the top 2/3. Since Sissoko has been a regular we've been in decline. Of course I'm not blaming him for that as there are a number of factors. But one of the key factors has been going from a midfield of Dembele/Wanyama to one of Sissoko/Winks.
 

lincspurs

Well-Known Member
Jan 19, 2011
679
1,310
I think he's strong but has no outstanding ability. I love his aggression but there is very little end product.
Except for the concession of needless (& often dangerous) free kicks around our penalty box. Numerous times I’ve commented “he didn’t need to do that”.
 

Neon_Knight_

Well-Known Member
Jul 20, 2011
3,975
6,608
Before that we were in the top 2/3. Since Sissoko has been a regular we've been in decline. Of course I'm not blaming him for that as there are a number of factors. But one of the key factors has been going from a midfield of Dembele/Wanyama to one of Sissoko/Winks.
I agree that our CM is nowhere near as good now as when we had Dembele and Wanyama at their best, but we need decent subs as well as a strong starting XI.

If we sell Sissoko, who would you play in the CDM, CM & CAM roles if two of Hojbjerg, Winks, Lo Celso & Alli is unavailable?

Two injuries / suspensions would be enough to completely throw of the balance of the midfield. It would be very risky to play three of Son, Moura, Bergwijn & Lamella behind Kane, without someone who can defend and break up play in the CM pairing behind them.

It's clear that Dier is now back to playing CB, not CDM. We've already loaned out Skipp, so the only way I can see the sale of Sissoko being viable is if we sign another CM (in addition to Hojbjerg) or Mourinho expects Ndombele and/or Gedson to play a much bigger part next season (both are currently a long way behind Sissoko in the pecking order).
 

joey55

Well-Known Member
May 20, 2005
9,675
3,091
I agree that our CM is nowhere near as good now as when we had Dembele and Wanyama at their best, but we need decent subs as well as a strong starting XI.

If we sell Sissoko, who would you play in the CDM, CM & CAM roles if two of Hojbjerg, Winks, Lo Celso & Alli is unavailable?

Two injuries / suspensions would be enough to completely throw of the balance of the midfield. It would be very risky to play three of Son, Moura, Bergwijn & Lamella behind Kane, without someone who can defend and break up play in the CM pairing behind them.

It's clear that Dier is now back to playing CB, not CDM. We've already loaned out Skipp, so the only way I can see the sale of Sissoko being viable is if we sign another CM (in addition to Hojbjerg) or Mourinho expects Ndombele and/or Gedson to play a much bigger part next season (both are currently a long way behind Sissoko in the pecking order).

I made the assumption that we'd be given money for Sissoko and then use that medium of exchange to acquire a different player. Next year Sissoko's value is going to be lower, as he'll be 32 and it's hard to imagine a player that so heavily relies on his physical attributes to be able to play at the top into his mid thirties. I see this as our last opportunity to get a decent fee (relative to current market conditions.)

If there is a chance a player, like Brozovic, was available, then I think selling Sissoko would make that sort of move much more financially viable. We'd probably raise more than half the fee. I'd much rather do that than sell NDombele (who I'm not opposed to selling if Jose doesn't feel he's got the right attitude to succeed.) I think selling Winks creates a problem as we can't let too many homegrown players go. If we want to improve our midfield further, given his age etc, selling Sissoko makes by far the most sense to me.
 

$hoguN

Well-Known Member
Jul 25, 2005
26,626
34,700
A bit like Aurier, we just need to let him go. I love the effort he puts in but he is so technically limited he makes us a worse side.
 

Japhet

Well-Known Member
Aug 30, 2010
19,232
57,391
A bit like Aurier, we just need to let him go. I love the effort he puts in but he is so technically limited he makes us a worse side.


I think Mourinho likes him because he wins a lot of tackles which is exactly what you need in a low block setup. He also does a good job covering Aurier but that leaves big gaps in CM. I'd expect us to move to a predominantly 433 setup with Hojbjerg coming in and would see Lo Celso, Winks and Ndombele getting the lion's share of the opportunities. All in all, I think we have to sell him if a decent offer comes in and I'd be very surprised if the club saw it any differently. We've still got Gedson knocking about somewhere as well who is a player Mourinho wanted.
 
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