Im a big Dier fan and regularly defend him but I think your wrong IMO about the correlation
Sissoko has a decent game IMO, you have to look at the fact his role changed after 2 mins due to Dembeles injury too. We went from a 3 against a 5 to a 2 against a 5 (with their wing backs)
He drove forward with the ball really well which helped take pressure off
I saw him several times take up a defensive position which halted a counter down our right after Trippier had gone forward. He didn’t make a tackle he did what eriksen excels at, he made them go backwards by taking out the option in the press
He has played a lot on the bounce in a shirt period and he looked tired to me and possibly injured twisted the end
He is a limited player technically but he did the basics well and that’s the starting point for real judging him
He doesn’t get near our first 11, or even the match day squad when their all fit but we won’t have a fit squad IMO until next summer
I dont know if you noticed or not, but I was saying before the game - Sissoko plays box to box and it frustrates me, because its no good. Id much rather he sat and defended and shielded the defence, something I think he can do competently.
It is of great frustration to me that we have the like of Dembele and Winks on the field, and yet its Sissoko charging up field to provide nothing (9/10) while they sit in and cover the gaps. It should be the other way around.
With Dembele going off so early, and with a pretty lightweight front 4 on the field (Lamela excepted!) in regards to pressing etc - Sissoko needed to slip into that role I wished him to play. Sit. Cover. Win it and play it simple. With Foyth, Alderweireld and Winks around him there is litterally no reason for him to be on the ball. Just win it and play it off, and make sure our lack of a front press doesnt hurt us. Provide a foundation to play from.
Judge him by the basics? He didnt do that basic job he was so suited to. As I said above, for any good thing he did it either amounted to nothing or there was a corresponding negative.
He left Winks exposed time and again, even if he did cover Trippier on occasions. There was a bloody great gap in our midfield which Wolves could have driven a bus through again and again - the common theme? Sissoko jogging (not running) back into position having charged off (and achieved nothing).
Im not even talking missed passes, balls out of play etc - of which there were a few. Simply looking at the job he did - IMHO he didnt bring more to the team than he took out of it.
I know we would not be playing him unless we had to, its an argument Ive been slaughtered for before but its true - he is an emergency service, not a "trusted" player.
And even then, Im still disappointed. he had the opportunity to play that classic Palacios/Parker type role - had he done so (and I believe he can) I would have lauded a massive contribution to a win in a tricky game/circumstance