Player Watch: Moussa Sissoko

[PrettyColors]

Moussa Sissoko should not play football for us if we’re trying to score a goal. It’s as simple as that.

Even defensively, his pressing has declined recently and his tackling is noticeably less aggressive than normal. His best quality is not being Harry Winks. That’s about it.

 

[Alex4487]

pathetic performance shying away from the ball and pointing to pass back has to be one of the most disgraceful things ive seen in a spurs shirt. a player bottling to receive the ball. weak mentality to go with half the squad, i can see why hes well liked in the dressing room with clowns all around him. he is the leader of the pack

 

[beats1]

Its insane how much abuse Jenas got from us as a fanbase and he had to play next to world class players like Zokora, Taino, Huddlestone(who wasn't the most mobile) and etc.

Yet Sissoko who has played next to Wanyama, Dembele, Hojberg, Winks, maybe not winks and etc. has been given a pass

 

[glacierSpurs]

He's too influential and not helped by the fact he's so good with Ndombele, Aurier and Bergwijn, all who have so much potential but drifting in and out of performance and consisitencies. Perhaps they have looked up to the wrong role model.

Should have posted in this thread instead of the Mourinho thread, quoted here, but just got too caught up with this terrible player who always looked as if he's working incredibly hard.

I absolutely hate seeing that and I'm fucking livid with that kind of possession play. Sissoko is the main culprit and that is why I have always been calling to cull him out of the match day squad.

Presumably he really does has a significant influence on the team that the rest are just following and doing what he's doing. And that needs to stop.

It doesn't matter he puts his bodies on the defence line, tracking back or whatever. The passes he made are just too safe and almost selfish to say that as long as he made a successful pass, mostly sideways and back, he will be contended. He doesn't move further up to compress the space to prevent opposition to advance, thinking he's a great defensive midfielder protecting the defence, but indirectly causing us to never have any possession in the midfield always, resulting in increasing pressure as the game goes.

Hojberg didn't wanna do that, but the above as a result of Sissoko has often caused him the need in retreating alongside Sissoko because the opposition are just overwhelming our midfield knowing only Ndombele is closing them - 1 vs 3 most of the time. Our midfield trio are effectively disjointed as a result of Sissoko. One can see Hojbjerg marshalling the line to move forward times and again, but Sissoko will always seem like a cult hero almost playing like a 3rd CB or 2nd RB acting unnecessarily busy and so proud of his defensive duties you wouldn't see him making himself available as outlets for Hojbjerg or Ndombele to pass to. Hojbjerg just couldn't do it alone.

Sissoko plays best as a RW, or just entrust the RB/RWB totally to him. Only such dedicated role could allow him the space he needs without conflicting the central midfield space affecting our transition play. But again, despite his physique, he's so scared shit of advancing his play and by choosing to the safer option literally every time, we are no different with playing an academy player in his position. TBH, there is really nothing he could bring to the table anymore if he is just adding body to the field, because even his single most basic trait of direct running which can help to carve some space for our attackers has not been seen anymore.

So many of us keep saying our midfield died with the departure of Dembele. Actually, it's more like our current midfield is in this state because of the way Sissoko is.

 

[spursfan77]

Moussa Sissoko should not play football for us if we’re trying to score a goal. It’s as simple as that.

Even defensively, his pressing has declined recently and his tackling is noticeably less aggressive than normal. His best quality is not being Harry Winks. That’s about it.

The fact he’s still here is a shocking indictment of our transfer policy.

The reaction from Mourinho when he got here to hearing Sissoko was one of the most influential members of the squad spoke volumes as to why we are where we are.

I am not pinning all our problems on one player but he’s not exactly helping us he?

 

[razzmaster]

The fact he’s still here is a shocking indictment of our transfer policy.

The reaction from Mourinho when he got here to hearing Sissoko was one of the most influential members of the squad spoke volumes as to why we are where we are.

I am not pinning all our problems on one player but he’s not exactly helping us he?

More worrying is how Mourinho can look at our midfield options in the summer and decide that instead of playing a possession based 433 system, he will play a counter attacking 4231. Not only that, he also decides that Sissoko is a better option than Lo Celso, Ndombele, Skipp, Winks or another new signing to play alongside Hojbjerg.

I don't think it's unfair to expect a bit more from a serial winner manager who is on £15m a year.

 

[spursfan77]

More worrying is how Mourinho can look at our midfield options in the summer and decide that instead of playing a possession based 433 system, he will play a counter attacking 4231. Not only that, he also decides that Sissoko is a better option than Lo Celso, Ndombele, Skipp, Winks or another new signing to play alongside Hojbjerg.

I don't think it's unfair to expect a bit more from a serial winner manager who is on £15m a year.

I wanted two central midfielders in last summer and the summer before that but the club didn’t see it as necessary. It doesn’t get away from the fact Sissoko was and is terrible. The reasons he’s had to play him ahead of the others you list is obvious and been repeated a hundred times on here so I won’t bother doing it again.

 

[punkisback]

No surprise that since his introduction to the first team we have been unable to play good football. Not the cause but symptomatic of the way we recruit, letting go of superior players such as Dembele and replacing with an inferior one.

 

[razzmaster]

I wanted two central midfielders in last summer and the summer before that but the club didn’t see it as necessary. It doesn’t get away from the fact Sissoko was and is terrible. The reasons he’s had to play him ahead of the others you list is obvious and been repeated a hundred times on here so I won’t bother doing it again.

Whatever the reasons, I just don't see there being any excuse why Sissoko is still at the club let alone in our starting xi. Jose had numerous options available and ignored them so for me this is all on Mourinho.

 

[Martinhotspur]

pathetic performance shying away from the ball and pointing to pass back has to be one of the most disgraceful things ive seen in a spurs shirt. a player bottling to receive the ball. weak mentality to go with half the squad, i can see why hes well liked in the dressing room with clowns all around him. he is the leader of the pack

There has got to be a player in the youth teams that can play ahead of him.

 

[razzmaster]

There has got to be a player in the youth teams that can play ahead of him.

Oliver Skipp and Alfie Devine will be those players.

For now, we need either play Hojbjerg and Ndombele in a 2 or move to a 433 and give Winks an opportunity to play with a proper DM behind him

 

[isaac94]

Like that JJ highlighted how cowardly he is with hiding away from the ball, but its always been the case since he's been here, his hugely out of his depth technically and he knows it

 

[thecook]

This passage of play had me shouting at the TV last night for the lack of options available to Hojbjerg, causing him to pass straight out of play. But having just seen it on Reddit and watched it back just look at this clown. That immediate pass back instead of turning right at the start set it up, then the hiding behind Chelsea players and the pointing instead of finding space.

Streamable Video

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

 

[dtxspurs]

This passage of play had me shouting at the TV last night for the lack of options available to Hojbjerg, causing him to pass straight out of play. But having just seen it on Reddit and watched it back just look at this clown. That immediate pass back instead of turning right at the start set it up, then the hiding behind Chelsea players and the pointing instead of finding space.

Streamable Video

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

The pass back right to start is so bad and then this picture is hilarious. Both Dier & Sissoko not showing for the ball and pointing for them to pass it somewhere else.

 

[handsomecake]

Our fanbase has been hoodwinked by Kane and Sons goals into thinking that we are as good or have the potential to be as good a the halcyon days of Poch.

The problem is that Dembele and Wanyama are now Sissoko and Winks .

Ideally it would be Ndombele ( AWOL for a year) and GLC (for me jury is still out) but for the most part it has been Sissoko and Winks or at least one of them.

Kane and son have masked the fact that we have a completely dysfunctional engine room.

Barcelona dominated Europe with average defenders because they didn't give the ball back to you , Man City have been getting away with it too for the most part.

We however can't keep possession AND have crap defenders. So the other team has loads of the ball and our defenders are called into action and caught with pants down more often than not.

 

[Nebby]

The pass back right to start is so bad and then this picture is hilarious. Both Dier & Sissoko not showing for the ball and pointing for them to pass it somewhere else.


View attachment 82160

Looks like a team totally devoid of confidence.

 

[dtxspurs]

Our fanbase has been hoodwinked by Kane and Sons goals into thinking that we are as good or have the potential to be as good a the halcyon days of Poch.

The problem is that Dembele and Wanyama are now Sissoko and Winks .

Ideally it would be Ndombele ( AWOL for a year) and GLC (for me jury is still out) but for the most part it has been Sissoko and Winks or at least one of them.

Kane and son have masked the fact that we have a completely dysfunctional engine room.

Barcelona dominated Europe with average defenders because they didn't give the ball back to you , Man City have been getting away with it too for the most part.

We however can't keep possession AND have crap defenders. So the other team has loads of the ball and our defenders are called into action and caught with pants down more often than not.

Its been Ndombele & Hojbjerg the past like 5 matches.

And what?! Barcelona of course kept possession but they've had really good defenders. Pique, Puyol, Mascherano, Umtiti (pre injury), all world class CBs, not to mention Alba & Alves were world class fullbacks.

 

[handsomecake]

Its been Ndombele & Hojbjerg the past like 5 matches.

And what?! Barcelona of course kept possession but they've had really good defenders. Pique, Puyol, Mascherano, Umtiti (pre injury), all world class CBs, not to mention Alba & Alves were world class fullbacks.

Tanguy completed his first 90 mins back to back a few games ago. The boy is still on probation or just out of it.

There would have been a consensus that Pique and Puyol were headbangers at one time or another. in the Irish media where I live anyway.

 

[Nebby]

Our fanbase has been hoodwinked by Kane and Sons goals into thinking that we are as good or have the potential to be as good a the halcyon days of Poch.

The problem is that Dembele and Wanyama are now Sissoko and Winks .

Ideally it would be Ndombele ( AWOL for a year) and GLC (for me jury is still out) but for the most part it has been Sissoko and Winks or at least one of them.

Kane and son have masked the fact that we have a completely dysfunctional engine room.

Barcelona dominated Europe with average defenders because they didn't give the ball back to you , Man City have been getting away with it too for the most part.

We however can't keep possession AND have crap defenders. So the other team has loads of the ball and our defenders are called into action and caught with pants down more often than not.

You are absolutely spot on... but those two aren't the only issue in midfield. We have also allowed goals, creativity and technique to leave the team in the form of Eriksen and Dele. Lamela is still there too and he should have been ditched three years ago. Lucas and Bergwijn also offer little in an attacking sense. Our midfield is a shadow of what it was.

 

[glacierSpurs]

This passage of play had me shouting at the TV last night for the lack of options available to Hojbjerg, causing him to pass straight out of play. But having just seen it on Reddit and watched it back just look at this clown. That immediate pass back instead of turning right at the start set it up, then the hiding behind Chelsea players and the pointing instead of finding space.

Streamable Video

Watch this video on Streamable.

streamable.com

This got me so disgusted but it's not just an one off. This has been ongoing for far too long. Just in that short clip anyone can see he was not running into spaces between two chelsea players to make himself available for a pass. No. He likes to go behind opposition players making himself unavailable to be passed to. Fuck his finger pointing. Fucking stop it. It was also his finger pointing that conceded us the penalty in the CL final. He's stealing a living in the team.