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Moussa Sissoko

Gazza said:
Not the most gifted or technical player ... but fudging hell you have to admire his meteorology and Spurs turnaround ... gave people like me a big fudge off and made me eat my words ... never seen such a dramatic change in any player ... ever.
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Shows how much confidence is a huge part of any player's performance. He did not get more skilful, just got confident to be calm and to try things.
 
Bedfordspurs said:
Sissoko has played varied roles for us

We miss him when he is out and we have sorely missed winks too and they have balanced each other out nicely

I’ve said that I think Dier and winks is a better blend but I would want winks and sissoko CMs in the final 400%

Sissoko has been excellent this season and has got better and better. If people didn’t have pre conceived opinionated of him he would be a revolation like Kante was in his first season

And his passing has been too notch vs Ajax
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Sissoko really hasnt.

Or, at least, he played a few roles badly, settled into a bull-in-a-china-shop b2b type role and the team and tactics adjusted to suit.

We miss him when he is out because there is nobody else left to play. And, lets be honest, we are currently set up to suit what he does - any team would miss that player - though its really not a mark of quality.

The improvement in him is a revelation, absolutely no doubt.

That is not the same as actually being a great player, or the right player for the team.


Robspur12 said:
Dier played well along side Dembele and the Wanyama of two seasons ago but he was not the main man in either pairing. At the time of Dier’s “peak” he also had Walker as the right fullback who was a beast at getting up and down and the centre halves were incredibly consistent. It is no coincidence in my opinion that he has not looked anywhere near as good since he has to cover for a weaker right back and he has lost his influential partner in Dembele and Wanyama.

This season we have more than adjusted to his lack of gametime through Sissoko and Winks. Both of whom are now more influential and in my opinion more important than Dier.
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I honestly think Dier needs some time off. And a chance to reset and find form. He seems to be this seasons whipping boy for some reason, people have short memories IMO. I didnt describe Dier as the best player we have or anything like that - I used the word "key" quite deliberately. I honestly think he is a player that makes everything else about the team work.

We have adjusted to using Winks and Sissoko, and as a result our game has gone down several notches. Both players have been very important, because without them we have literally no midfield - thats not the same as being "key" or even a preferable set up IMHO.
 
nayimfromthehalfwayline said:
Sissoko really hasnt.

Or, at least, he played a few roles badly, settled into a bull-in-a-china-shop b2b type role and the team and tactics adjusted to suit.

We miss him when he is out because there is nobody else left to play. And, lets be honest, we are currently set up to suit what he does - any team would miss that player - though its really not a mark of quality.

The improvement in him is a revelation, absolutely no doubt.

That is not the same as actually being a great player, or the right player for the team.




I honestly think Dier needs some time off. And a chance to reset and find form. He seems to be this seasons whipping boy for some reason, people have short memories IMO. I didnt describe Dier as the best player we have or anything like that - I used the word "key" quite deliberately. I honestly think he is a player that makes everything else about the team work.

We have adjusted to using Winks and Sissoko, and as a result our game has gone down several notches. Both players have been very important, because without them we have literally no midfield - thats not the same as being "key" or even a preferable set up IMHO.
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Dier is not a whipping boy mate he has justifiably been criticized for over a season of poor performances. The term "Whipping boy" is more appropriately applied to describe how Sissoko was abused on here mercilessly by some. There is a touch of irony in the way you defend Dier who has been quite poor, while damning Sissoko with the faintest of praise.

The reasons we have "gone down several notches " is not because Sissoko has replaced Dier in midfield but due to many factors which have been discussed in other threads. Sissoko's performances have contributed massively to us qualifying for the Champions League this season and getting to the final. The contribution has been active too for example during the first Ajax game, not just because he has been making up the numbers.
 
Robspur12 said:
Dier is not a whipping boy mate he has justifiably been criticized for over a season of poor performances. The term "Whipping boy" is more appropriately applied to describe how Sissoko was abused on here mercilessly by some. There is a touch of irony in the way you defend Dier who has been quite poor, while damning Sissoko with the faintest of praise.

The reasons we have "gone down several notches " is not because Sissoko has replaced Dier in midfield but due to many factors which have been discussed in other threads. Sissoko's performances have contributed massively to us qualifying for the Champions League this season and getting to the final. The contribution has been active too for example during the first Ajax game, not just because he has been making up the numbers.
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If you look around there is a definite resentment growing for Dier, as these things seem to go, its a bit cyclical and right now seems to be his turn.

I would have thought his performances and service for us over the years should have leant itself to him being granted a little leeway but instead the knives are coming out.

I defend Dier because he has been a massive player for us, and at this point deserves defending.

The idea I am damning Sissoko with faint praise is yours, and your problem, not mine.

I have always said it as I see it with Sissoko, no more or less. No agenda, no axe to grind, none of it, despite how people seem to want to characterise me.

The reasons we have gone down several notches are directly related to Sissoko, though not his fault at all.

We had such a series of injuries (and arguably set ourselves up for it) that our midfield was gutted. Which meant using what we had available. Which meant Sissoko. Problem is, he isnt equipped to play the football we normally play. Thats not slagging him or anything like it, its just the truth. So we end up changing up our way of playing to get the most out of him. Simple as that.

Switching to an end to end kick chase and run style has lead to us scoring less, conceding more, not controlling games, losing more games...

And it stems from having to suit Sissoko, which stems from other issues.

Thats not even trying to dig the play out, thats just observation.

Sissoko is playing the best football of his career right now, and is unsurprisingly thriving in a team basically made for him at this time.

Of course that means he has an impact on how well we do/dont do.

That being said, I still dont actually think he is doing as well as people are getting carried away and seem to think. And I do think we will revert to our usual style of play at the earliest opportunity - and when we do he will no longer fit.
 
nayimfromthehalfwayline said:
If you look around there is a definite resentment growing for Dier, as these things seem to go, its a bit cyclical and right now seems to be his turn.

I would have thought his performances and service for us over the years should have leant itself to him being granted a little leeway but instead the knives are coming out.

I defend Dier because he has been a massive player for us, and at this point deserves defending.

The idea I am damning Sissoko with faint praise is yours, and your problem, not mine.

I have always said it as I see it with Sissoko, no more or less. No agenda, no axe to grind, none of it, despite how people seem to want to characterise me.

The reasons we have gone down several notches are directly related to Sissoko, though not his fault at all.

We had such a series of injuries (and arguably set ourselves up for it) that our midfield was gutted. Which meant using what we had available. Which meant Sissoko. Problem is, he isnt equipped to play the football we normally play. Thats not slagging him or anything like it, its just the truth. So we end up changing up our way of playing to get the most out of him. Simple as that.

Switching to an end to end kick chase and run style has lead to us scoring less, conceding more, not controlling games, losing more games...

And it stems from having to suit Sissoko, which stems from other issues.

Thats not even trying to dig the play out, thats just observation.

Sissoko is playing the best football of his career right now, and is unsurprisingly thriving in a team basically made for him at this time.

Of course that means he has an impact on how well we do/dont do.

That being said, I still dont actually think he is doing as well as people are getting carried away and seem to think. And I do think we will revert to our usual style of play at the earliest opportunity - and when we do he will no longer fit.
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An end to end kick chase? Changing our game to fit Sissoko? Nonsense. We have always played with a ball carrier and a ball playing midfielder. Sissoko is a ball carrier like Dembele, like Wanyama. Winks is the ball player. Dier is in between. This is how we have played since Poch's second season except that this season Sissoko has assumed the position ( box to box role) previously occupied by Dembele. There may be an argument to say he is not as good as Dembele - not many are, but imo he has not been far off this season. There is no evidence at all that we will "revert" to some mythical style of play that you think we engage in.

On the issue of Dier's criticism it is no different to the criticism of Eriksen. You have constructively criticised Eriksen and rightly so. Likewise there has been constustive criticism of Dier and rightly so.
 
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Robspur12 said:
An end to end kick chase? Changing our game to fit Sissoko? Nonsense. We have always played with a ball carrier and a ball playing midfielder. Sissoko is a ball carrier like Dembele, like Wanyama. Winks is the ball player. Dier is in between. This is how we have played since Poch's second season except that this season Sissoko has assumed the position ( box to box role) previously occupied by Dembele. There may be an argument to say he is not as good as Dembele - not many are but imo he has not been far off this season. There is no evidence at all that we will "revert" to done mythical style of play that you think we engage in.

On the issue of Dier's criticism it is no different to the criticism of Eriksen. You have constructively criticised Eriksen and rightly so. Likewise there has been constustive criticism of Dier and rightly so.
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You think we currently set up and play the same way we always have? Are you sure?
 
nayimfromthehalfwayline said:
You think we currently set up and play the same way we always have? Are you sure?
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Yes. We have played 4231 or 352 or variations of these as we have in previous seasons. That we have not been so good in the League as in the last 2 seasons are due to injuries, drops in performance level from a number of players and the fact we have gone further in the cup competitions than in those seasons rather than because Sissoko per se has changed the way we play. In fact, thanks to Sissoko's energy we have continued to deploy a box to box player while also providing additional cover on the right.
 
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Right. Then fundamentally we disagree on even the basics, so theres little point continuing.

We dont, IMO, play anything like we have the 4 seasons prior. And Ive explained why. If you dont even see a difference in playing style then there really is nothing to talk about.

I absolutely think you are wrong. And expect you think similar of me.
 
Robspur12 said:
An end to end kick chase? Changing our game to fit Sissoko? Nonsense. We have always played with a ball carrier and a ball playing midfielder. Sissoko is a ball carrier like Dembele, like Wanyama. Winks is the ball player. Dier is in between. This is how we have played since Poch's second season except that this season Sissoko has assumed the position ( box to box role) previously occupied by Dembele. There may be an argument to say he is not as good as Dembele - not many are, but imo he has not been far off this season. There is no evidence at all that we will "revert" to some mythical style of play that you think we engage in.

On the issue of Dier's criticism it is no different to the criticism of Eriksen. You have constructively criticised Eriksen and rightly so. Likewise there has been constustive criticism of Dier and rightly so.
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Sissoko is like Dembele in the way a diesel train is like a Maserati.
 
Yea I’ve seen it said a couple of times on here now that Sissoko is like Dembele, I don’t get that at all!?!

Very good season though from Sissoko.
 
galeforce said:
Pretty good analogy there, one is super reliable, capable of covering large distances with ease and and can carry a tremendous load whilst the other looks good but never quite achieves the sum of its parts and isn’t on the road as much as the owner would like.
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One is manoeuvrable and adaptable, the other goes in a straight line really fast. One is entirely unsuitable and useless to those of us at the top table
 
nayenezgani said:
You bloody idiots comparing Sissoko to Dembele, what a stupid conversation.

The two of them together, on form, would have been a wonderful complimentary pairing.. But to try and compare them is a total waste of time.
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Actually only one poster constantly brings up this (agreed) "ridiculous conversation". So are you calling him a bloody idiot? Not that I am arguing, mind you, just looking for clarification :D
 
Kenyan Spur said:
Really. Who are these people at the top table ?
And who owns this supposedly TOP TABLE.
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In the real world it's those of us who wouldn't be caught dead on public transport. In the football analogy it's those who intend to compete to win their leagues.
 
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