As a Spurs fan, I follow a lot of Tottenham fan pages and read many articles about Tottenham. And in a lot of these articles, I have come across people who are of the opinion that Moussa Sissoko has made a vast improvement from his debut season. In a couple of my articles, I have noted impressive performances from Sissoko too. But I’d rather have a look at his stats in the league so far this season and compare them to last seasons, to see if he actually has improved.
Attack
Moussa Sissoko made 25 league appearances last season, including starts and sub appearances. Throughout those appearances he registered just 17 shots, only 3 of which were on target, with a shot accuracy of just 18%, with 0 goals. Bearing in mind he was playing as an inside forward/winger, it’s pretty dreadful.
When this stat is compared to the current season, there’s no sign of improvement. In his 6 appearances in the league so far, he has taken 5 shots and not one has hit the target. Obviously that’s not very impressive, but on the other hand he has been predominantly played through the middle in front of the defence, which could mean he’s not in very dangerous positions when shooting.
Passing
Last season, Sissoko registered just 2 assists in his 25 appearances which is not setting the world alight by any means. He also boasted a dismal crossing accuracy of 6% from 34 crosses. This season, he has 0 assists and has attempted 3 crosses completing 1. Again, there’s not much sign of improvement.
Defence
Last season, Sissoko put in quite an impressive defensive display without most people noticing, including myself. He made 14 tackles with a success-rate of 86%. He also made 53 recoveries, 11 clearances, 12 aerial-battles won and also won 20 successful 50/50’s, and importantly, made no errors leading to goals. These stats show the attacking ability of the right back playing behind him at the time, Kyle Walker, who would often over-lap Sissoko on the wing and would leave the Frenchman to sit deeper. There are some signs of life from the Frenchman however. His defensive efforts have begun as they left off, while not being the best, it is a positive sign of his solidity when getting behind the ball. So far, he has recorded 8 tackles with a success rate of 88%, 3 interceptions, 17 recoveries, and 5 successful 50/50’s. The reason for his defensive performances could be due to him being deployed deeper in the midfield in a central position, normally alongside Eric Dier and they form an effective shield in front of the back 3.
In conclusion, in terms of stats there’s not many signs of improvement for the Frenchman. But it’s still early in the season and his position change could be the catalyst to his potential revitalisation. He enjoyed his best form at Newcastle when playing through the middle and Poch is finding him more useful from a deeper position, as I believe he lacks the pace to get in behind defences and lacks crossing ability as well.
What are your thoughts on his performances and do you see Sissoko improving further this season?
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