Moussa Sissoko quietly becoming a key player at Spurs

A bit-part player in his first two seasons with Tottenham, Moussa Sissoko has finally taken his place in the squad as a valuable utility player.

After arriving from Newcastle in the summer of 2016, Sissoko immediately found himself as an outside man. His transfer fee of 30 million pounds didn’t help to endear himself to the Tottenham faithful as his performances came nowhere near the price.

While shining in sporadic appearances, for the most part the French midfielder struggled to break into the team. He also was not trusted by manager Mauricio Pochettino.

In an interview Poch said that Moussa had not shown enough in training nor had he shown quality. This came after being dropped from the squad against Chelsea in 2016.

Flash-forward to the Bernabeu last season, where along with Serge Aurier, the two locked down Marcelo of Real Madrid in a crucial Champions League draw. This was a real coming out for Sissoko, who enjoyed more chances in the league making 33 appearances. However, he was still deployed as sub mainly, or in lesser matches as CDM replacement for Dembele and Wanyama.

In 2018, Sissoko has already played one-third of the minutes he did last year, having returned from injury to feature more heavily in the first team. He has made six league starts this term, compared to the 29 he has made since joining. With so many injuries to the midfield occurring so far, Sissoko has been deployed in several roles as a utility player.

Ben Davies hailed his teammate as brilliant in his recent matches.  “It’s the work he does off the ball that goes unrecognized but for us, as a team, it’s invaluable.” Davies told tottenhamhotpsur.com.

This is the role that Sissoko excels in. Not overly dominate in any one area of his play, his combined dribbling ability, passing and strength make him a tough matchup for any opponent. While not one to chip in with goals, Sissoko can often start a counter with his speed on the wing or through the middle.

Sissoko will likely continue to see game time as Moussa Dembele recovers from an ankle injury keeping him out until February. With Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama also off form, Spurs will need Sissoko to be at his best in the coming weeks as the Premier League heats up.

His good form also earned him another call up to the French national squad. He just earned his 54th cap for his nation against the Netherlands. A vital part of their Euro 2016 runner up campaign, he will be looking to stay as long as he can this time.

Don’t be surprised to see Poche keep faith in the Frenchman in a huge derby match against Chelsea.