Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino is known for cutting players at a quicker rate than Homer Simpson for the Wildcats when players fall out of line. Andros Townsend was dropped, fined and eventually sold after a furious row with fitness coach Nathan Gardiner back in 2015, while a falling out with Kyle Walker was believed to be one of the major reasons the England international was sold to Manchester City over the summer, even if Pochettino states otherwise. Moussa Sissoko was expected to follow suit, particularly after the Argentine gave the midfielder the cold shoulder for a period last season.
“It was the worst season of my career,” the 28-year-old said in May, before adding: “If Pochettino isn't counting on me, that he thinks the players who are there are better, he should say it.” He seemed to call out the Spurs boss and with reports of a return to France or a loan move to Turkey circulating, it looked as though Sissoko’s time in north London was coming to an abrupt end. His capture raised eyebrows last August, when the France international secured a £30m move to Spurs and after struggling to secure a regular first-team spot, it wouldn’t have been too big a shock to see the club cut their losses on the former Newcastle man.
As chance would have it, however, Sissoko has been presented with the perfect opportunity to resurrect his Spurs career and one he is taking with both hands. Injuries to Victor Wanyama and Mousa Dembele, and in the midst of Harry Winks’ return to full fitness, the one-time club-record arrival has been deployed in the centre of the park and to good effect. Alongside the defensive-minded Eric Dier, Sissoko has free reign to push forward and offer another attacking outlet for the north London side.
While the switch to a central position hasn’t had the desired effect yet – Sissoko is yet to score following his move to Spurs – his driving runs drag defenders out of position, while his power as key an asset as any in Pochettino’s high-intensity Spurs side. He demonstrated both qualities perfectly against APOEL on Tuesday night, where he provided the assist for Harry Kane and Spurs’ second in the 3-0 win in Cyprus having burst down the right before cutting back for the man of the hour.
😁 Right foot
🙌 Header
Harry Kane with the perfect Champions League hat-trick.
Class 👏👏👏
The decision to deploy him on the wings last term was a tremendous waste of his talents, particularly as his ability to force the issue allows for an extra body in the final third to help stretch opponents. Pochettino’s choice to switch to a three-man defence could have seen Sissoko cast to one side, yet he’s maximised the absences of teammates to force his way back into his manager’s plans. He may not be as technically refined as Dembele in midfield, or Christian Eriksen, Dele Alli and Heung-min Son in the final third, yet Sissoko has a key role to play in this squad as Pochettino looks for strength in depth in his quest to land a trophy.
At the time of writing, Spurs are battling on three fronts in a bid to secure silverware and competition in every position is vital, which increases Sissoko’s importance to the side, a sentence no fan would’ve expected to write earlier in the year. The capture of former Toulouse teammate and friend Serge Aurier has also had a positive impact on Sissoko, with the duo unsurprisingly quickly forging a rapport down Spurs’ right.
Having been written off after a sub-par debut campaign, Sissoko has begun to turn his fortunes around for Spurs, with the player affording Pochettino an alternative midfield threat from a reserved role in the middle of the park. He has rough edges to his game – Sissoko’s distribution and decision-making still asks questions of the support – but the midfielder has started to live up to the billing after a full pre-season under Pochettino. With it yet to be seen how long Wanyama and Dembele will be sidelined for, Sissoko has a vital role to play in the middle of the park over the season.
