Sorry, I should have said what DOES he contribute as this isn’t the first game. Yes you’re right I shouldn’t scapegoat him, but the result highlights that we are a club capable of obtaining better options in the transfer market. He has his uses coming off the bench but we can do so much better.
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Sorry, I should have said what DOES he contribute as this isn’t the first game. Yes you’re right I shouldn’t scapegoat him, but the result highlights that we are a club capable of obtaining better options in the transfer market. He has his uses coming off the bench but we can do so much better.
If you think Winks and Dembele get more criticism than Sissoko, then you're crazy. I've seen both Dembele AND Winks perform worse than Sissoko this season yet I haven't heard anywhere NEAR the abuse. In fact Kane was FUCKING awful today. Over hit his passes, poor end product and offside far too often yet no criticism (not that I'm particularly bothered, Kane is god).
I would rather someone came in who would improve us, of course. No doubt about it - I think there are loads of players out there who would. But as we don't have those players, I will continue to support Sissoko and back him up when he doesn't play half as bad as some of the other fan favourites.
Burn him , unbelievably he is a perfectionist of shit .
An insane imbecile purchase which makes Ian Moore's a demi God.
An insane imbecile purchase which makes Ian Moore's a demi God.
Sissoko played because we needed fresh legs after Tuesday. I would have played Winks and not sure why he is not getting on. Missed the MC match when some said Winks had a stinker and he got groans when playing yet another back pass in a previous home match. Has he lost confidence? He must play against Wimbledon. Sissoko is a very limited player that tackles well which is normally needed in a local derby but it was not that kind of match. He plays too many safe back passes maybe because of lack of skill. I do think he try's hard and is useful when we are winning to hold a lead.
There you go again.
I never said I thought Winks and Dembele get more criticism than Sissoko and I never said I wouldn't back him as long as he playes in a Spurs shirt. But I do think we should stop making excuses for him. Kane had a legitimate one being ill for the past couple of game, Sissoko does not.
Why you can't just accept that he's not good enough is beyond me.
Like stockholm syndrome you're growing to actually like the player that falls over and can't pass for shit.
What excuses have I made for him?
I didn't say "you" I said "we" as in some of the comments i've seen defending him on social media and so on i'm not going to scrawl through messages to look for any examples of supposed excuses from you.
But what I will say is that you claimed
"I will continue to support Sissoko and back him up when he doesn't play half as bad as some of the other fan favourites."
This is just beyond me and a lot of people on this forum. I can't name a single game where he actually out performed another one of our midfield players. There's no point arguing though I ain't and no one here is going to convince you that he's shit.
Why does Poch play him against sides that sit back? He’s better when we can counter attack.
Against sides that sit back he’s essentially a rugby box kick. He’ll get you 30 yards further up the field but a turnover is inevitable.
Against sides that sit back he’s essentially a rugby box kick. He’ll get you 30 yards further up the field but a turnover is inevitable.
Well, well may I applaud most of you in here, I've just got back and not read anything but all I heard during the game (because there was an absolute winging cunt sat behind me, who's mate's started to join in with about 20min to go, just slating him, I sat as silent as I could then when he passed it sideways he piped up again and I thought he was going to have a heart attack, let's say it triggered me, it was the final straw and I ended up having a row that went on for ages. Driving home every caller on the radio also having a pop at him, then I noticed his thread was lit up and guessed the same here too, but I have to say that some of you actually watched the game!!
For those like the cunt sat behind me, who thought he was playing as a winger or an AM, HE WAS PLAYING AS A HOLDING MIDFIELDER TONIGHT!!!!! He played this role as Poch wants his holding midfielders to do, he covered everyone of Aurier's runs, either dropping into the space he vacated and/or link very well with him when we had the ball. Think what you have seen from Dier and Winks, think in particular how these two play when a team sits with 9 men behind the ball and you will have seen him do exactly that tonight. His pressing was great, he won the ball back and he re-circulated the ball, this is the job of a DM. (now a really, really good one has a bit more than that in that they have a range of long balls (Winks), break a press (Wanyama) but he did good, just not special).
If anyone has a problem it should be with Poch for playing both Dier and Sissoko as holding midfielders against a team parking the bus!! For me this was far too negative we could have gotten away with playing any of our attacking options that were in the bech instead of one of Dier or Sissoko from kick off.
For those like the cunt sat behind me, who thought he was playing as a winger or an AM, HE WAS PLAYING AS A HOLDING MIDFIELDER TONIGHT!!!!! He played this role as Poch wants his holding midfielders to do, he covered everyone of Aurier's runs, either dropping into the space he vacated and/or link very well with him when we had the ball. Think what you have seen from Dier and Winks, think in particular how these two play when a team sits with 9 men behind the ball and you will have seen him do exactly that tonight. His pressing was great, he won the ball back and he re-circulated the ball, this is the job of a DM. (now a really, really good one has a bit more than that in that they have a range of long balls (Winks), break a press (Wanyama) but he did good, just not special).
If anyone has a problem it should be with Poch for playing both Dier and Sissoko as holding midfielders against a team parking the bus!! For me this was far too negative we could have gotten away with playing any of our attacking options that were in the bech instead of one of Dier or Sissoko from kick off.
Not scapegoating him for the result, but I'm sorry, he's simply not a good footballer for someone of his supposed ability. Crap like, 're-circulating the ball' and 'pressing' doesn't cut it with me. (Which can translate as simple sideways passing and running towards opponents). The guy offers nothing of real substance and his ball control is truly shocking.
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You might be right, maybe not. I find it difficult to believe that his positioning is what Poch wanted.
Whilst it was obvious he was playing a holding role, some of his positioning was shocking. Covering Aurier is one thing but he was actively taking up the wing back position and forcing Aurier forward into midfield. Then it was Sissoko making the overlapping runs when the ball went into Aurier's feet with back to goal... which is the exact opposite of what you want from Aurier and nullified him in a lot of possession. We needed someone creating opportunity for Aurier to surge *ahaha* from deep.
Please... Indulge me with an explanation.
Conversely, if we'd won (which is a highly plausible scenario) what comment would THAT have made about our transfer policy?
What is most worrying is most of the time he doesn’t seem to know where he is on the pitch.
Or where his teammates are.
And his passing is poor.
And his touch is pretty rubbish as well.
Wait a minute..........
aulinhobored:
So I would put big money on him being at Barcelona within 3 seasons of leaving Spurs and the Top goalscoring midfielder in La Liga for good measure.
Or where his teammates are.
And his passing is poor.
And his touch is pretty rubbish as well.
Wait a minute..........
aulinhobored:So I would put big money on him being at Barcelona within 3 seasons of leaving Spurs and the Top goalscoring midfielder in La Liga for good measure.
That's as maybe but that's not the role of a holding midfielder, ever see Dier or Wanyama do that? He played the role tasked by the Manager. He played well in this context. On form is he as good as Wanyama and Moussa as DM? No. I'd have Dier ahead of him too for that role, but as
Totti
said earlier, he played the role (statistically) better than Dier tonight, Dier misplaced a number of passes, Sissoko only one. (Thought Dier was OK tonight too).If Sissoko was playing in goal tonight think some people (especially the fella behind me) would have slagged him off for not dribbling the ball up the wing. All I'm saying is, judge him for the role he was played tonight, not the role they thought he was playing (not aimed at you mate).
I am though Guido (judging him on the role, that is). He had absolutely no place taking up such heavily defensive positions straight off the bat. Rotating into them is one thing but he was literally taking the space I want to see Aurier in during build up and I'd be just as fucked off to see Dier or Wanyama sat there, pushing our pacey wingback into the opposition ranks with no space.That's as maybe but that's not the role of a holding midfielder, ever see Dier or Wanyama do that? He played the role tasked by the Manager. He played well in this context. On form is he as good as Wanyama and Moussa as DM? No. I'd have Dier ahead of him too for that role, but as
If Sissoko was playing in goal tonight think some people (especially the fella behind me) would have slagged him off for not dribbling the ball up the wing. All I'm saying is, judge him for the role he was played tonight, not the role they thought he was playing (not aimed at you mate).
Plugging in between the CBs is one thing but he had fucking chalk on his boots half the game. What is he doing out there as a DM? And behind the wing back? It just hampered us and as you've rightly said, was very very negative.
If it was Poch that had him out there then that's poor, very very poor.
Sorry but the pass completion stat doesn't mean he played the role better than dier tonight, I find that stat incredibly misleading, all of his passes were backwards and he constantly slowed the game down just from his lack of control. I just don't see what the guy offers the team honestly, the blame is definitely on Poch tonight for starting both of them and not bringing one off earlier, but if anyone was to come off it should of been Sissoko. I think the reason his name is mentioned so much when we don't win and why fans are quick to get on his back is because it's just so painfully obvious how far off the rest of the squad he is technically.That's as maybe but that's not the role of a holding midfielder, ever see Dier or Wanyama do that? He played the role tasked by the Manager. He played well in this context. On form is he as good as Wanyama and Moussa as DM? No. I'd have Dier ahead of him too for that role, but as
If Sissoko was playing in goal tonight think some people (especially the fella behind me) would have slagged him off for not dribbling the ball up the wing. All I'm saying is, judge him for the role he was played tonight, not the role they thought he was playing (not aimed at you mate).
The aim was to get Aurier as high as possible, for which he plays a part in providing triangles to bye-pass their press, that worked a treat, Aurier, who I thought was our best player, was a constant threat. However, we have seen in numerous games that teams will look to expose that space behind, so he covered that off. This was the role given to him IMO. I guessing that he is more comfortable in playing to the right as well, certainly not the guy to drop between the CB's like Dier. He did this when we had the ball but can you imagine him defending centrally as a drop in CB, not for me.
To have two DM's was the mistake, Poch should have pushed Sissoko up early on when it became apparent their game plan wasn't to play football.
I'm not solely basing that on pass completion stats, if I had to choose between Dier and Sissoko as a DM I'd pick Dier all day long, I think he's a better defender, which he didn't have to do today as the oppo were so far away they might as well of been playing in China. I'm merely tempting the comparison that statistically he was better than Dier tonight as a DM. But if we were to play just one the better player with and without the ball is Dier as DM all day long, also as one DM there is more of a chance the he would be called into action rather than if we played with one.
Having said all that, and to contradict myself, it was Sissoko that sat the deeper of the two tonight.
So Sissoko played as a holding midfield player and WHU were limited to three shots with just one on target ... so he did his job ....
The front 3/4 managed just one goal from 31 attempts ... they fecked' up
and yet it's Sissoko's fault .....
The front 3/4 managed just one goal from 31 attempts ... they fecked' up
and yet it's Sissoko's fault .....
Singling out Sissoko for sideways/backwards passing is ludicrous. The above charts every Spurs pass from tonight, notice a trend? Fucking everything is sideways, 35+ yards from goal. Just about anything with attacking intent came from Aurier
or Eriksen.
Alli was pish
As was Lamela when he came on.
Even Sonny didn't offer much.
Despite playing further forward, our "Attacking" midfielders (save Eriksen) spent the majority of the time metaphorically pacing on the beach debating the temperature of the water. All in all we frustratingly resemble the past decade of gooner teams in these matches, obsessed with maintaining possession to a fault - too cautious for our own good. And that isn't indicative of Sissoko being poor - that's a problem that runs through how the team is set up and how they're coached. Poch needs to impress upon the squad that if the other team intends to lay on the ropes we simply have to start throwing punches rather than nervously feinting just out of reach.