‘All very strange’ – Alasdair Gold gives his take on the Bissouma situation

Alasdair Gold has admitted that he has been left puzzled by Antonio Conte’s criticism of Yves Bissouma.

Bissouma’s arrival from Brighton during the summer transfer window was met with excitement by the Tottenham fan base, given the reputation the midfielder had built at the Amex Stadium over the last couple of years.

However, the 26-year-old has started just one game across all competitions since his move to North London (Transfermarkt), with Conte continuing to stick with the tried and tested partnership of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur in the middle of the park.

The Spurs head coach admitted last month that the Mali international was “struggling with the tactical aspect” of Tottenham’s system (Football London).

Gold has now revealed that he heard from people who followed Bissouma’s career at Brighton that the midfielder’s fitness and defensive ability was what always stood out.

The journalist wondered whether Tottenham’s summer signing is simply not showing enough in training.

Gold said on his YouTube channel: “I was told by people around who followed him all the time was that he was one of the fittest players in the Brighton team. 

“Fitness shouldn’t have been an issue. Conte is another level as everyone says, but still he should have had that base layer, people would also say that the defensive side of his game was the strongest point, and now Conte is saying it’s not good enough.

“It’s all very strange, I can only presume in training that he’s not showing enough.”

Spurs Web Opinion

Bissouma is very strong defensively in one vs one situations but I think Conte was referring to the midfielder’s positional sense when he spoke about his tactical struggles. 

Given that we only play with two midfielders, it is understandable that the Italian wants their positioning to be perfect on and off the ball in different phases of play.

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