Where does Sissoko fit in at Tottenham?

This morning I wrote a debrief on Tottenham’s Transfer Deadline Day dealings, but now that ‘Silly Season’ has passed, it’s time to talk about football.

We know that Tottenham’s £30million pound signing of Moussa Sissoko makes a significant statement of intent, but the more important impact, will be the one he makes between the white lines. So, what will Moussa Sissoko bring to Tottenham, and where will he fit in?

So who do we have here?

Most fans know Moussa Sissoko best from his time at Newcastle United, where he would regularly sandwich dazzling displays between two or three lacklustre performances. Often the best athlete on the pitch, Moussa often cut a frustrating figure as he produced performances well below of the level he is capable of. After witnessing a failure from the entire playing staff last season, the Newcastle fans would have been excited to see more of the real Moussa Sissoko in the coming year after he impressed for France in Euro 2016. Yet before he was Newcastle’s powerhouse, Moussa Sissoko was the pride of Toulouse FC in France.

Sissoko broke into the first team in 2007, aged just 18 years old at the time. A regular for French youth sides throughout his early years, Sissoko became a stalwart of the Toulouse side in the holding midfield position. His powerful stature along with his rangy, combative, athletic style of play led to inevitable comparisons to ex-France midfielder Patrick Vieira as Sissoko began to garner interest from around Europe. The emergence of Etienne Capoue (remember him?) in the defensive midfield role allowed Sissoko to assume his preferred box-to-box position in the side and his development continued to flourish. In 2010, who else but Tottenham Hotspur enquired about his services, but were rebuffed after a £12million bid was rejected. With Juventus, Bayern Munich and Man City also circling, Toulouse president Olivier Sadran announced that Sissoko would only leave for a fee in excess of €30million.

Sissoko remained in Toulouse until 2013, where Newcastle United picked him up after his contract expired in France. Hatem Ben Arfa, Davide Santon, Loic Remy, Remy Cabella, Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Georginio Wijnaldum are just a handful of players who joined Newcastle United with stellar reputations, but failed to live up to expectations for a number of reasons while on Tyneside. Moussa Sissoko seems to have fallen into the same trap as he failed to propel his career much further during his time in the Sports Direct Arena. However, Sissoko did impress enough to force his way into a competitive French national team, and the powerful midfielder excelled in this year’s European Championship. Now just 27 years old, with some of his best years ahead, there is great hope that the positive club situation that now exists at Tottenham can allow Sissoko to fulfil his great potential.

Where will Sissoko fit in?

If Tottenham had been offered anywhere close to £20million for Moussa Dembele in the summer of 2014, most fans would have jumped with delight as they waved him out the door. Fast forward two years and the side looks hollow without his presence, and no Tottenham fan in their right mind would even entertain a bid of £30million for the Belgian midfield general. There’s a hope around now, that Pochettino can work the same sort of magic to reignite the career of Moussa Sissoko, a player with a similar skillset to Dembele’s. This of course means that having Sissoko as a like-for-like replacement for Dembele in the midfield is a very realistic possibility, but I believe that Pochettino will be more inclined to try and find a formula that incorporates both of the dynamic midfielders.

Offering sound technical ability, boundless energy and lethal pace, Sissoko presents a number of possibilities to Mauricio Pochettino. Let’s start by looking at the most likely scenario…

New Dimension

We know that Pochettino favours the 4-2-3-1 formation which has served him well until now, but aside from our two rapid full-backs, the Tottenham attack is often found lacking in pace when set up like this. Just last weekend Pochettino bemoaned this, and pointed to Liverpool’s Sadio Mané as the type of weapon he would like to be able to turn to.

Enter: Sissoko

With the likes of Matuidi or Kante sitting back to mind the house, Sissoko was often given free roam to roam up and down the wings for France this summer, and did so to devastating effect at times. While he failed to get in on the scoring act, Sissoko’s powerful running applied massive pressure to opposition defences, which unlocked doors for the likes of Griezmann and Payet. Sissoko’s powerful, probing runs force teams into defending far further back in their own half than they’d like, creating much more space for playmakers to dictate.

With Tottenham so reliant on Christian Eriksen and Erik Lamela to pick holes in defences, having another weapon, like Sissoko’s athleticism from a wide position, creates a new dimension to the Tottenham attack.

The Direct Approach

When you have good players, football is a simple game, and I think Pochettino may feel that simplicity is the key in the coming weeks.

It’s highly probably that Vincent Janssen will be used as a backup for Harry Kane first and foremost, but after a promising showing with two up front last week, it’s likely that Pochettino may want to further examine this idea.

Teams are often wary of playing a 4-4-2 in fear of being overrun at midfield. Yet, as Leicester City showed last season, 4-4-2 can be very effective if you have the right centre-mid partnership. A Leicester coach famously suggested recently that they had actually been playing three in midfield for all of last season: ‘Drinkwater in the middle and Kante either side.’

As of now, Tottenham boast one of the most powerful midfields in England. In Eric Dier and Victor Wanyama, Spurs have two of the most physically dominant holding midfielders in the league, while Moussa Dembele and Dele Alli (and potentially Sissoko) bring an unmatched motor to the box-to-box midfield position.

With a pairing of Dier and Dembele, like we saw so often last season, Spurs would be free to allow Sissoko to wreak havoc on the right wing, while either of Lamela or Eriksen orchestrated from the other side. This option would also give Tottenham the most fire-power, with both strikers on the pitch at once, causing nightmare for defences.

So, having illustrated the possible options that Sissoko allows us to explore, it’s also important that we don’t forget Tottenham’s other deadline day signing – George Kevin N’Koudou.

N’Koudou comes in as a bright young prospect, similar to Clinton N’Jie the year before, but where N’Jie was somewhat of a wide forward, N’Koudou is very much an out-and-out winger. Having been a key supplier for Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi at Marseille last season, Spurs could very well use N’Koudou’s pace and delivery ability in either of the positions outlined for Sissoko in the two line-up’s above.

So, as another transfer window bites the dust, I can’t wait to see this Tottenham side in action!

Winning Strategy? Potential Tottenham Tactics in 2016

The beauty of sport is in its uncertainty.

Despite the fact that hundreds or even thousands of people could reasonably call themselves ‘football experts’ nobody can ever predict for sure the outcome of a game. This is why those few schemers, who get it right more often than not, rise to the top of the managerial game.

But even the likes of Carlo Ancelloti or Sir Alex Ferguson are aware that there is no single winning formula, and that even successful teams must adapt or get left behind. While this adaptation may often come in the form of new staff or players, it may also be a change in formation.

Mauricio Pochettino’s promising start to his Tottenham tenure has been built on a balanced 4-2-3-1 formation. This Tottenham side currently boasts a very effective lone striker, a solid holding midfielder, a pair of attacking full backs, a selection of playmakers and a sweeper keeper, which all helped carve out a successful 2015/16 campaign. However, the 4-2-3-1 is not perfect. Spurs often play with an attacking midfield trio of Eriksen, Alli and Lamela. All three are more natural playing through the middle, and those positioned out wide tend to cut inside regularly. As a result, in many games, Tottenham’s play becomes narrow, and devoid of pace, and the team struggles to break down stiff defences. This is only one flaw, and one which only presented itself in a handful of games last season. Yet as we all know, a handful of games can be the difference between 1^st and 5^th, with this year set up to be the most competitive season in years.

Recently as I was reading popular Spurs fan site ShelfsideSpurs.com, an interesting point was made regarding recent league winners in Europe’s top divisions, and the formation they regularly deployed on their way to victory. Leicester City played an old-fashioned, effective 4-4-2, while Bayern Munich played an aggressive 4-1-4-1 midfield-heavy formation in Germany. Barcelona, PSG and PSV all found success using 4-3-3, and Juventus maintained their recent hot streak by staying true to the Italian-style 3-5-2.

I considered the possibility of Pochettino trying some of the above tactics with the Tottenham squad, to assess the success we could have:

Traditional: 4-4-2

For a long while now, I’ve thought that the English national team needlessly overcomplicate things. Instead of playing to the strengths of the industrious players they boast, the English FA seem intent of mimicking what the Italians, the Spaniards and the Germans are doing, and the result is shoving square pegs into round-tiki-taka-shaped holes.

Leicester City played a classical, intensive, direct style of play last year that would suit the majority of the English players down to the ground. This style couldn’t be said to be Claudio Ranieri’s ‘Philosophy’, instead, he did the wise thing, and played to the strengths of the players he had… and we’re all aware how that turned out.

So, for occasions where Pochettino may consider throwing caution to the wind, and aggressively chase goals, here’s how 4-4-2 might fit Tottenham.

No change to the back five which served Spurs so well last year, and nor is there much need for one, after conceding the (joint) fewest league goals in 2016. In the centre of midfield Spurs are spoilt for options. For rougher affairs, a duo of Wanyama, Dembele or Dier could be used to dictate, while on other occasions the likes of Bentaleb, Alli or even Eriksen on occasion could be used to instigate attacks from deep. Up front, the scoring load on Kane could be halved by having Vincent Janssen alongside him to occupy defences. However, out wide the questions begin to come. The obvious candidates for the two wides positions would be (In order) Eriksen, Lamela, Son, Chadli, N’Jie/N’Koudou. Lamela and Eriksen are two of the finest creative maestros in the league, however neither is a natural winger, and having them as two, old-fashioned sideline-hugging wingers may limit their production. Beyond those, Nacer Chadli doesn’t possess the required pace, while Heung Min Son is more suited to a central role also. Whether Spurs use a 4-4-2 at all this season may come down to whether either (or both) of N’Jie or N’Koudou are at the club this season. Both are lightning fast attackers who could spread an opposition defence out with their speed and create space through the middle for our natural playmakers. The question is, does Pochettino have faith in N’Jie, or will the deal for N’Koudou soon be sealed?

 

Forza Italia: 3-5-2.

Juventus have budged their way into the top table of European football over the past few years. A hatful of Serie A titles and a Champions League final appearance in the past few has put this Juventus side on a pedestal above their Italian rivals. Despite having a change in manager during this successful spell, Juventus generally stay loyal to the classic Italian-style 3-5-2 formation. This style is built on – a rock solid back-three/goalkeeper combination, a pair of marauding wing-backs, a set of three dynamic do-it-all midfielders, and a potent pair of attackers. This is how I’ve adapted this idea to Spurs:

I don’t think any team in the world could boast a better defensive quartet than Buffon, Chiellini, Barzagli and Bonucci, however with Lloris, Alderweireld and Vertonghen on the books, Spurs come closer than most. Add to that the evolved Eric Dier, who could just about continue his role as protector of the defence and you’ve got a solid foundation. Danny Rose and Kyle Walker are the ideal candidates for the attacking wing-back roles, who will provide the width for the team.

Meanwhile, Spurs should be spoilt for choice in the middle. Any pair of Wanyama, Dembele, Alli or Bentaleb could make up the engine room, while Lamela or Eriksen could slot in to provide the playmaking. The real strength of this formation is that it allows Spurs to use Kane and Janssen in tandem, rather than instead of each other. Maybe this is one for Pochettino to consider!

Pep Talk: 4-3-3

The 4-3-3 formation may not have been invented by Pep Guardiola during his all-conquering reign at Barcelona. However, it could be said that it was perfected there. And while Pep’s job in Catalonia was a hell of a lot easier than the one he has inherited in Manchester due to the wealth of talent in the Nou Camp, the well balanced 4-3-3 formation must also take some credit.

Much like the previous two formations presented, the 4-3-3 relies on a solid centre of defence, with a pair of dynamic full-backs who are as much wingers as defenders. The presence of Busquets at the base of midfield allowed the conductors Xavi and Iniesta to orchestrate the game from the middle of the park. Meanwhile, the front three was an interchanging attacking blur, that kept defences guessing for 90 minutes. Okay yes it helps when the front three is spear-headed by a certain Leo Messi, but that’s beside the point…

The first major difference in the Spurs team arrives at midfield. Eric Dier would hopefully continue to excel in that role in the holding midfield position, to allow those ahead of him to pull the strings. Either of Dembele or Alli could occupy one of the other midfield spots to provide a box-to-box dynamic presence, but beside them, key to a successful 4-3-3 would be the deep-lying presence of Christian Eriksen.

We’re all aware of Eriksen’s crucial goal-getting ability when placed further up the pitch, but in an era where possession seems to be more and more valuable, the teams with the midfield maestro seem to rise to the top. Pirlo in Italy, Iniesta or Xavi at Barcelona, Modric or Kroos at Madrid – In Christian Eriksen, Spurs have a talent potentially on par with those listed above. If Tottenham could bring him deeper into midfield to get him on the ball as often as possible, it could provide a serious new dimension to the play.

Up front, the line would be led by Harry Kane who is the ideal point of the attack. Erik Lamela has sometimes struggled when confined to the wing, but a more free role in an attacking trio, which would allow him more space and the ability to interchange positions, should bring the best out of the creative Argentinean. On the other side, this would be the natural position for Heung-Min Son to excel. With pace, technique and a proven eye-for goal, 4-3-3 may bring the best from Tottenham’s Korean star.

So, whether or not Pochettino heeds my tactical offerings, I’ve certainly enjoyed writing them and I hope you did too! If you’ve any thoughts, I’d be happy to hear in the comments!

Thanks for reading!