Moussa Sissoko

[Bedfordspurs]

Those are only the primary requirements in a world where the role being described is one that fits Sissoko to a tee.

Tackling? Positioning? Passing? Close control? Vision? Decision making? Off the ball movement?

Look at the central midfielders that have done well for Mourinho in the past, how many of them have actually been outstanding for both pace and strength? How many of them have been as limited as Sissoko on the ball? A small handful and none respectively would be my guess.

He hasn’t ever had a CM who can’t pass
He even said himself he didn’t see him as a CM
But if winks isn’t knocking the door down in training and he isn’t sure of the fitness of Tanguy and Lo Celso to play there we are short suddenly
I’d live to see Skipp back but that may not be best for his long term career unless we will start him

 

[braineclipse]

He hasn’t ever had a CM who can’t pass
He even said himself he didn’t see him as a CM
But if winks isn’t knocking the door down in training and he isn’t sure of the fitness of Tanguy and Lo Celso to play there we are short suddenly
I’d live to see Skipp back but that may not be best for his long term career unless we will start him

I assume by saying "can't pass" you mean can't pass significantly better than Sissoko.

If he's never had a player without good passing quality why isn't passing on your list of primary requirements?

The more attributes you want a transfer target to be good at the more difficult to find and expensive that player will generally be. Most potential targets will have to be some kind of compromise between what you want and what is possible. Unless some Essien clone is available from somewhere.

Work rate and discipline are mandatory for Mourinho, particularly for that role. But I don't think a potential target has to be both very strong and very quick like Sissoko is.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

I assume by saying "can't pass" you mean can't pass significantly better than Sissoko.

If he's never had a player without good passing quality why isn't passing on your list of primary requirements?

The more attributes you want a transfer target to be good at the more difficult to find and expensive that player will generally be. Most potential targets will have to be some kind of compromise between what you want and what is possible. Unless some Essien clone is available from somewhere.

Work rate and discipline are mandatory for Mourinho, particularly for that role. But I don't think a potential target has to be both very strong and very quick like Sissoko is.

The basics for sissokos rule is run a lot to cover the space. Win some tackles and pass it back to our players in a better position
Oh abs win some headers when we’re under pressure.. preferably by leaving the ground in anticipation of the ball
What we currently have is a player who runs a lot more than most and covers space. That’s not great for a side that is willing to play without the ball

 

[AdamB]

I’d live to see Skipp back but that may not be best for his long term career unless we will start him

Setting aside wheter we would want to do this, do you know whether we have the right to recall him? I can understand why Norwich may have resisted that

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Setting aside wheter we would want to do this, do you know whether we have the right to recall him? I can understand why Norwich may have resisted that

No idea TBH
Bit form what I’ve seen of him at Norwich he would be a great compliment to PEH and an able deputy to him too

 

[Bedfordspurs]

I guess my issue comes that sissokos strengths are negative and destructive
There is a time and a place for that and he is bloody good at it
He is also fit regularly and well liked by the players (not that it’s the best measure)
But for a team to do well you can have only a certain amount of players whose focus is stopping the opposition
We have right now every game 6 players doing that, and he is by far and away the one with the least skill when it comes to retaining the ball and transferring it into an attacking opportunity
I’d much rather see him come on to kill a game rather than start one myself

 

[iggyfog]

Sissoko is a spoiler pure a simple
Hojberg plays the role of spoiler but can also play a pass.
Against teams were we want to give up possession and play counter attacking - we can play with both of them.
Against teams such as West Brom, Palace, even Leicester (who don't play like the other big teams) we need someone who can move the ball.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

Sissoko is a spoiler pure a simple
Hojberg plays the role of spoiler but can also play a pass.
Against teams were we want to give up possession and play counter attacking - we can play with both of them.
Against teams such as West Brom, Palace, even Leicester (who don't play like the other big teams) we need someone who can move the ball.

Exactly
Sissoko kills the game not creates the game
Games like yesterday were crying out for a better technical player

 

[MKSpur]

Maybe the issue with Sissoko is two fold, in that Mourinho doesn’t trust Aurier without him. So actually it’s all Doherty’s fault for not keeping Serge out of the team!

 

[billyiddo]

Sissoko is a spoiler pure a simple
Hojberg plays the role of spoiler but can also play a pass.
Against teams were we want to give up possession and play counter attacking - we can play with both of them.
Against teams such as West Brom, Palace, even Leicester (who don't play like the other big teams) we need someone who can move the ball.

This seems so obvious yet we still persist with it, why?

 

[fernadez]

Just looks tired to me, which in turn will highlight his failings.

The amount of work he gets through in 90 mins is ridiculous. If others put in as hard a shift there would be no need for a)him at all and b) no need for him to play every game. A team who can't defend unless in the lowest block known to mankind needs to have a Sissoko in their team. We could dominate possession as much as we liked and still get done by a single long ball.

 

[Finney Is Back]

If we’re looking for a player who will give us Sissoko type levels of winning his dual but with a bit more quality on the ball then what about Bissouma from Brighton? He looks a good player to me.

 

[StephenH]

This seems so obvious yet we still persist with it, why?

We have Jose at the wheel. Who even brings Kane & Son back to defend, then wonder why they are cattled.

 

[Bedfordspurs]

If we’re looking for a player who will give us Sissoko type levels of winning his dual but with a bit more quality on the ball then what about Bissouma from Brighton? He looks a good player to me.

Very good player. Possibly another like PEH that could step up with better players and also playing currently with a great coach
The Cameroon lad at Fulham is also playing well by account but I’ve not seen much of them to comment

 

[iggyfog]

I was thinking about this last night and came to the conclusion that our midfield is a bit pants....(not sure if this is the right place to post this)

We are missing the players to link up defence and attack, like a modric or dembele. Now in theory Ndombele or Lo Celso should be able to play this role but they are both so inconsistent, whereas players like modric or dembele were consistently good. Apart from the danish feela who I feel is the best signing of the season.

Our tactics require us to bypass the midfield - quick ball into Kane - out ball to Son.

Where we are required to build through the midfield we struggle.

 

[AdamB]

I was thinking about this last night and came to the conclusion that our midfield is a bit pants....(not sure if this is the right place to post this)

We are missing the players to link up defence and attack, like a modric or dembele. Now in theory Ndombele or Lo Celso should be able to play this role but they are both so inconsistent, whereas players like modric or dembele were consistently good. Apart from the danish feela who I feel is the best signing of the season.

Our tactics require us to bypass the midfield - quick ball into Kane - out ball to Son.

Where we are required to build through the midfield we struggle.

Need to remember that Modric wasn't consistent from the start and Dembele had his Fulham time to get used to English football.

I think that GLC is very, very similar in style to Modric. Great on the ball, plays the assist-to-the-assist rather than the assist itself, has a bit of niggle about him despite being small, works hard etc. I'm hopeful he'll come good.

 

[Finney Is Back]

Need to remember that Modric wasn't consistent from the start and Dembele had his Fulham time to get used to English football.

I think that GLC is very, very similar in style to Modric. Great on the ball, plays the assist-to-the-assist rather than the assist itself, has a bit of niggle about him despite being small, works hard etc. I'm hopeful he'll come good.

GLC doesn’t look after the ball like Modric does. You could play the ball to Modric on either of his feet, even when he was tightly marked and Modric would retain possession. That isn’t the case with GLC, he also has a very weak right foot, which limits him compared to Modric.

 

[MKSpur]

GLC is more athletic than Modric and is good at those lunging tackles and bursting away with the ball. He really stood out last season but it’s hard to judge him this season with the stop start impact of his injuries.
I’d have Modric back in a heartbeat though, as Finney said he looks after the ball and I don’t think his age is a huge barrier as his fitness record is good and a lot of his game is based on the internal wing mirrors he has and the speed in which he makes decisions. One do my favourite players, especially live and I loved it when no one outside the club really got him because he wasn’t a highlights player. With him and Dembele holding I think we could play a 100% possession game if we needed a 0-0.

 

[billyiddo]

I was thinking about this last night and came to the conclusion that our midfield is a bit pants....(not sure if this is the right place to post this)

We are missing the players to link up defence and attack, like a modric or dembele. Now in theory Ndombele or Lo Celso should be able to play this role but they are both so inconsistent, whereas players like modric or dembele were consistently good. Apart from the danish feela who I feel is the best signing of the season.

Our tactics require us to bypass the midfield - quick ball into Kane - out ball to Son.

Where we are required to build through the midfield we struggle.

How much of that is tactics though? There's no question that Lo Celso and Ndombele were both progressive midfield players at their previous clubs, either carrying the ball from deep or playing creative passes from deep - both had high numbers of passes in to the final third. IMO we have seen enough of both to say they can do it here - so why aren't they?

 

[elltrev]

How much of that is tactics though? There's no question that Lo Celso and Ndombele were both progressive midfield players at their previous clubs, either carrying the ball from deep or playing creative passes from deep - both had high numbers of passes in to the final third. IMO we have seen enough of both to say they can do it here - so why aren't they?

Yeah I agree - this season Jose's playing Ndombele and Lo Celso mostly ahead of our holding two, rather than as one of them. I can accept that against the very top teams, but against weaker teams I personally think Lo Celso or Ndombele can definitely play in the deeper two. Trouble is that leaves a bit of a hole in the no.10 position, given Lamela's injury and Dele's freezing out.