Tottenham’s Lloris, Sissoko Frustrated and Disappointed with Loss
A missed opportunity yesterday saw Tottenham fail to jump into the top four with either a win or draw against Manchester United at Old Trafford.
A day after Tottenham suffered their second loss in their last three Premier League matches, Hugo Lloris and Moussa Sissoko both summed up their feelings with frustration and disappointment.
Lloris was frustrated with the fact that Manchester United, a team who had been struggling for form lately in the Premiership, came away with a win.
From the eyes of Spurs’ captain, the Red Devils aren’t actually better than Tottenham when it comes to on-field talent. Sure, they have some good players, but Lloris is adamant that Spurs controlling the game (with 60 percent possession), should not have lost the way they did.
“It’s a bit frustrating because on the pitch, we don’t feel they are better than us,” Hugo Lloris told Spurs’ official website after being asked if this was a missed opportunity.
“Of course, they have some talented and great players in their team but we had good control of the game and we were a bit unlucky with the goal because we lost the ball and they benefited straight away with the one-on-one from [Henrikh] Mkhitaryan. That’s football and that can happen.”
“We had a good performance and at the end it’s a frustrating result. We need to look forward. Next week is very decisive with two home games and I hope that will help us take a step forward.”
If Lloris believes that Spurs are a much better team than Man United, then the reason why they lost is obviously because of an error. Harry Kane’s giveaway at midfield, intended for Christian Eriksen, was the difference which Hugo Lloris alluded to above.
“It’s never easy to come to Old Trafford. It’s a huge club but on the field, we don’t feel the difference,” Hugo Lloris explained.
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“This is our level and sometimes the result can depend on mistakes, on moments. Manchester United didn’t make mistakes, defensively they applied themselves and it was the same for us but we just need to learn about this game and look forward to Hull [City] on Wednesday night.”
Joining Lloris in agreement was Moussa Sissoko who would repeat the same message that Lloris said, but the French midfielder was less talkative. Which isn’t surprising since a draw would have seen them sitting in fourth place based on goal difference.
“We’re all disappointed about the result. We came here to play well and try to get the three points. I thought we played well and deserved more, a point at the minimum, but we lost and we’re all disappointed,” an upset Sissoko said.
As disappointing as the end result was, Sissoko’s introduction into the game was generally well received by the traveling away supporters and viewers watching at home.
After maintaining more possession of the ball but being unable to attack consistently, Mauricio Pochettino decided a change was needed to get Spurs in position for the equalizer.
And that’s exactly what the 27-year-old Sissoko was able to do routinely on the right flank. Unfortunately his final balls were lacking because of the type of player he is: a central midfielder who is big and strong. Who can outmuscle defenders for the ball or get past them when pushing forwards towards the end line.
Sending in crosses however, is not a big part of his game. And that’s to be expected.
“I came on and tried to bring some energy, tried to run forward – those are my qualities.” Moussa Sissoko said. “I tried my best to help the team but it wasn’t enough to get us to 1-1. We need to learn from this game, we need to analyse what was good and what wasn’t good and be ready for Wednesday.”
Next: Tottenham Draw Gent in Europa League Round of 32
With Manchester City losing to Chelsea, this was an opportunity for Spurs to leapfrog them in the table. Instead, Tottenham lost to Manchester United due to a rare giveaway from Harry Kane.
This loss stings as Man City could extend their three-point lead to at most six, with a win over Watford. Should the Hornets hold out for a draw on the road at the Etihad Stadium, Spurs will get another crack at climbing back into four against Hull City on Wednesday night.