Moussa Sissoko is quietly transforming his image from Spurs flop to “invaluable”

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Following a summer of no signings, Tottenham have relied on the improvement of their current players to help the club make its best ever start to a Premier League campaign.

The likes of Erik Lamela, Lucas Moura and Juan Foyth have all emerged as challengers for a starting spot in recent matches. But one player has gone a little under the radar.

Moussa Sissoko has quietly been one of Spurs’ most important players this term, to the delight and surprise of the supporters.

His manager, teammates and the Tottenham fans have all been vocal about the midfielder’s improvement. Here’s what they’ve been saying and why they’ve been saying it.

Is Moussa Sissoko this season’s biggest surprise package? Five key things to know…

  1. The £30m signing of Sissoko in 2016 was deemed so disastrous it triggered a ‘blame game’ among Spurs’ scouting department.
  2. Sissoko stuck it out at Tottenham for two seasons despite being linked with countless moves away.
  3. Now in his third season, the 29-year-old’s performances have drastically improved and the supporters appear to have accepted him.
  4. Mauricio Pochettino revealed he is glad Spurs fans now recognise Sissoko’s value.
  5. The Frenchman was recalled by Les Bleus manager Didier Deschamps.

Mauricio Pochettino’s praise

Pochettino kept faith in Sissoko despite the fact he endured a difficult first two seasons at Tottenham. He made 47 appearances in all competitions last season despite some poor displays.

Those sub-par performances have seen Sissoko derided by large sections of the Spurs fanbase, but there has been a sea-change in that regard over recent weeks.

“I am so happy that the fans start to recognise his value Pochettino,” said, according to football.london after last month’s 1-0 win at West Ham United, in which Sissoko provided the assist for Erik Lamela’s winner.

Indeed, the Tottenham supporters are beginning to sing Sissoko’s name in a sincere fashion, rather than the ironic chant of: ‘Wake me up before you go-go, who needs Bale when we’ve got Sissoko?’.

And Pochettino thinks he knows why. He added: “I think he’s a very honest, professional player. You know what you are going to receive from him. I think the squad always in 25 players you need different type of players and I think Mousa provides the team with a very good balance.

“I am happy that the fans are starting to see him like a player who helps the team and helps the club and recognise his value. Of course we cannot ask him to do different things, or things we can ask of another player, but he will always give you all that he has inside. That is very good for the team.”

Fans on board

Spurs fans can be a hard bunch to win over, especially since the team started qualifying for the Champions League on a regular basis, thus upping expectations for players who come into the club.

It’s safe to say there has been a conflict between the quality of performance Sissoko has provided up to now and the number of appearances handed to him by Pochettino. But if the Twitter posts below are anything to go by, the Tottenham supporters are finally on board with Sissoko’s selection.

Ben Davies’ delight

Ben Davies has been sharing a pitch with Sissoko regularly over the last three seasons, and the left-back has been as impressed as anyone with his teammate’s form. Interestingly, Davies points out the most telling attribute behind Pochettino’s faith in Sissoko: his work rate.

“Honestly, he’s been brilliant for us,” Davies told Tottenham’s official website. “It’s the work he does off the ball that goes unrecognised but for us, as a team, it’s invaluable.

“To have a player like Moussa is to have a player who when you are under pressure, you know he’s going to get on the end of things, work and chase everything.

“He’s one of the hardest workers in the team and he deserves all the plaudits he’s getting. He’s back in the France squad and that is one of the best squads in the world. We’re all delighted for him.”

Lingering doubts

Of course, the above praise would make it easy to fall into the trap of believing Sissoko has suddenly become a top-class player. That’s not precisely true; there are still plenty of flaws to his game.

He has scored just twice in 68 appearances for Spurs and hasn’t really looked like adding to that tally this season. Sissoko is one of the last players supporters want to see with the ball in a promising position as he rarely gets an accurate shot away.

What’s more, giving away a penalty in France’s defeat to the Netherlands during the international break was perhaps indicative of the clumsy streak he can’t seem to shake.

His final ball could do with some work, too, especially in advanced areas. Fortunately for Tottenham, his work in every other area of the pitch has been first-rate of late.

And with Spurs’ injury crisis showing no signs of ending, Sissoko is likely to remain a vital player from now until the end of the campaign.

The post Moussa Sissoko is quietly transforming his image from Spurs flop to “invaluable” appeared first on Squawka News.



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