Yesterday’s showing was down to Poch. Why he thinks playing him out wide is going to help in anyway I don’t know. Although having watched the game back the criticism of him was way OTT, some of his passing was quick and incisive - an example being the ball out to eriksen who crossed it for the Sánchez chance just before NDombele scores, that wasn’t easy to execute accurately. He ended up being moved from out wide into deeper central position and guess what happened? He picks the ball up centrally on the half way line, drove powerfully past an opposing player and passed it forward to one of our attackers who scored. The same thing he did well time and time again last season, it’s not rocket science about where he should be playing. One game, one assist - well done Sissoko....
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Moussa Sissoko
- Thread starter Jordinho
- Start date
Bedfordspurs
Mark Falco
On the shooting front he seemed more confident
He hit one first half that went wide
He had the one that went out for a throw in
Then he hit the shot that won the corner for NDombeles goal
And had another after that
Plenty, I lived through our teams in the 90s.
We've moved a long way past that now though
glasgowspur
Luka Modric
If anything Kane was encroaching on Moura and lamela, his place is in and around the box.
lurker of old
Gus Poyet
Tell me, have you ever seen someone you consider worse than Sissoko in a Spurs shirt?
Many, in fact too many. What he lacks in finesse, he more than compensates for, by his drive and athleticism. Rightly or wrongly, right now he is a vital cog in the machine.
Many, in fact too many. What he lacks in finesse, he more than compensates for, by his drive and athleticism. Rightly or wrongly, right now he is a vital cog in the machine.
Maltese Falcon
Niko Kranjcar
Sorry mate but that's way off track...
Kane was where he should have been all first half. It's Moura and Lamela who weren't and who condensed play in the middle - making the compact Villa defence look much better than it really is.
Just compare Lamela to Sterling in the City match - same position; light years difference in footballing knowledge and effectiveness
DeanoAustin
Jimmy McCormick
Ah now stop. You've taken one small part of my post and jumped on that. You did infer that he was somehow better than Ndombele and Winks yesterday because he played the 90 mins and they didn't. You completely ignored the circumstances around why that happened. You've also completely ignored the fact that you created a strawman in your original post.
Every time yesterday that Sissoko was asked to do something more than play a simple pass, he failed. And that's a constant theme with him. He has no vision, he has no bit of guile. He's just a big, powerful unit. The miss was laughable.
As for getting into the position to not hit the corner flag, it wasn't some great run. He wandered into the box from his position and Villa left him untracked and it was actually Moura who made the chance for him with his jump/flick on. And if you think Ndombele was nowhere until the goal, you weren't watching the same game.
People gave Lamela particularly a lot of stick throughout the game yesterday. He was very, very disappointing. Moura, I thought, was okay.
Maltese Falcon
Niko Kranjcar
No I didn't... I just pointed out that - for all the criticism Sissoko got on - he was the only midfielder who finished the game. Just a statement of fact. If there is an inference it is that if Poch agreed with the Sissoko slaters, he would have hauled him off... This is what the Sissoko critics cannot square... for all your gripes and put-downs, one of the best coaches in the world continues to start a player, who apparently is the worst in Tottenham history, and keeps him on for the full 90 minutes - game after game after game! If you would like to explain this, I am all ears...
Any more laughable than Moura's pathetic attempt at a glorious free header in the opening minutes which would have allowed us to cruise the game? But you don't mention that do you?
So why weren't Lamela and Moura "wandering into the box" and getting into scoring chances, if it was so easy. As for attributing the Moura completely missed header as a sort of "assist"; this only serves to accentuate the bias and double standards you apply to Sissoko. As for Ndombele, Poch himself said he played at 30% and it was obvious that his best moments came in the last 30 minutes. Therefore, by extrapolation, he was anonymous during the first half.
What did he actually do? Missed two great chances early on that would have closed the game; provided no width whatsoever; encroached on Kane's space; and despite people saying he is a great dribbler never - not even once - managed to take on a player and beat him.
glasgowspur
Luka Modric
I didn't watch the city game so can't comment on that specific.
Lamela and sterling in general are not similar players or working in a similar system so don't see what your point is there.
The system, formation, tactics, call it what you will was the problem yesterday, not the personnel. None of them was being asked to play in their strongest position and it showed. Don't know what poch was thinking of.
Legohamster
Ian Walker
Yep, we need footballers with all the Possession we have.
Hes fine as a squad player, he will put a shift in and has uses.
But he’s not a top 4 starting player -
DeanoAustin
Jimmy McCormick
Like I said, "infer". if that wasn't what you meant fair enough but you were saying "Well Poch kept Sissoko on and took of Ndombele and Winks. Why is that?" There is a suggestion in there that you think Poch reckons Sissoko is a better player.
Incidentally, no one, even Scara, has claimed that Sissoko is the worst player in our history.
A lot more laughable. He didn't hit the corner flag. At least Moura got his on target. Moura's was a bad miss and I can't find the replay of it but he found space between two defenders which I'd suggest takes a bit of guile. Sissoko just got into the box at the back post. Moura should have scored but, like I say, from 8 yards, Sissoko missed the corner flag. Watch it again. How he tries to settle himself after the touch is like a man who is panicking.
Moura and Lamela were getting in the box. Moura was in the box for Sissoko's corner flag effort for instance. As for Poch's 30% comment. It's sort of a nonsense throwaway comment really isn't it. And if yesterday was 30% Ndombele and 100% Sissoko, give me 30% Ndombele every time.
He provided quite a bit of width second half yesterday. So much so, I was praying Sissoko just laid the ball off to Moura rather than tried anything more than a 5 yard pass himself.
Modric THFC
Jimmy McCormick
Ndombele got taken off with a minute to go for a standing ovation. Winks got injured.
Or if you want to go full pedant on it. Sissoko lasted 45 minutes in midfield until Poch decided he was so ineffective he had to use him as stand in winger.
The way Sissoko runs up the pitch with the ball reminds me of when a strong centre half dribbles up the pitch. Remember when Sol Campbell used to do that. The shock of it. The surprise at how fast he can go when he gets going. Then you notice that's he dwelling on it. He can see the runs his teammates are doing but he has no idea how to get the ball to them. He end up just hitting the ball very hard in their general direction.
Some people are still excited by these moment. Others are absolutely sick of his final ball.
You're right about Lamela and Lucas. Absolutely dogbrick for 88 minutes each.
BrainOfLevy
Michael Carrick
He quite literally is a top 4 starting player. He’s also a starting CL finalist.
The ‘he’s not a footballer’ trope is just nonsense. He is terrible at shooting, we can all agree on that, but he brings us a lot in terms of balance.
The facts are, and Poch has acknowledged this in his post match comments, that the diamond didn’t work. Nobody was any good, not Sissoko, not N’Dombele, not Winks. Everyone showed some nice touches here and there, but the team wasn’t functioning in the way that we hoped. Once we changed shape in the second half, we looked a lot better. Sissoko got an assist, N’Dombele got a goal, and we could have had more.
parklane1
Tony Galvin
He did what he was asked to do by Poch, was he the best player on the pitch? not a chance, Was he the worse? again not a chance.
They are still SOME fans on here who judged Sissoko far to early then they should have done, and now feel that they can not go back on some of that abuse they threw at him.
Once every one of our players are fit he may not get into the team ( i think most fans would agree on that) but until then he does what he is asked to by Poch.
They are still SOME fans on here who judged Sissoko far to early then they should have done, and now feel that they can not go back on some of that abuse they threw at him.
Once every one of our players are fit he may not get into the team ( i think most fans would agree on that) but until then he does what he is asked to by Poch.
DeanoAustin
Jimmy McCormick
He’s played in a team that got in the top 4 and the CL final. That’s not the same as being a top 4 player. If all our players were as good in their positions as Sissoko is in his, we’d finish 10th or worse.
Saying he’s just brick at shooting ignores his other limitations. He can’t do much with the ball. There is no vision, no incisiveness to his passing. He’s just a powerful unit.
As a team we were awful first half. That wasn’t Sissoko’s fault but you could see flashes of what other players can do and where they are thinking and Sissoko isn’t in the same league on that score. And that’s why he’s not a top 4 player.
BrainOfLevy
Michael Carrick
He’s been a starting player in a top 4 team for 2 seasons in a row now.
I’m getting a bit frustrated having to point out the obvious, but he got an assist yesterday with a good pass, and some spark to break the lines a bit in midfield. There were plenty of good touches, but he is someone that has some physical gifts, and I would say tactically is excellent.
Seems like it’s a new season and we’re back on not being able to appreciate Sissoko for what he is. And we’re having to blame him for everything that he isn’t. It is not news to say he gets by because of some physicality. It’s not a hot take to say that he struggles in front of goal. It is just ridiculous polarisation to call him not a footballer though.
Maltese Falcon
Niko Kranjcar
I literally cannot think of a single person with two working legs who could not have made that pass. It was a 5 yard lay off.
If we're rating players by such simple measures, let's praise Lamela for managing not to drop his shorts and brick on the centre circle.
He's wrong. It's no more complicated than that.
Modric THFC
Jimmy McCormick
It's nothing to do with people's online reputation. How can you watch the game see attack after attack break down at Sissoko's feet and accept it.
"It's not his game." He's not a centre half. He doesn't play as a defensively midfielder. His role to burst forward with the ball.
He created an opportunity initially by running with it but instead of making a delivery, he looks around, pretends no one is home and leaves an annoying little missed delivery card in the letterbox. The only way to reliably get the ball off him is to come to him waving the card so he can make his safe 5 yard pass. It's either that or he lobs it randomly in the garden somewhere.
And the tired agrument is the "Poch knows" flimflam. If Poch really rated him he wouldn't have bought two players to do his job better than him in Ndombele and Lo Celso