The Premier League season may only be two weeks old, but Yves Bissouma is yet to play a match for Ange Postecoglou and not be named the best player of it. And to think he couldn’t even get a game under Antonio Conte.
It seems improper to dredge up an unhappy past when the positive energy coursing through the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium could light every home in N17, but with each passing week it becomes increasingly unfathomable that Conte could find no place for Bissouma in a midfield that was consistently overworked and overwhelmed. He was right there, Antonio.
The Italian singled Bissouma out for struggling with the “tactical aspect” of his instructions, which considering the 26-year-old’s comfort in possession is unsurprising when the principal role of Tottenham’s midfielders last season was to hurry around plugging gaps, like two 10-year-old’s playing whack a mole at a seafront arcade. What a difference a new manager makes.
From being on the fringes last year, Bissouma is suddenly front and centre of the Ange revolution, dictating and driving, passing and probing, tackling and tidying up. He was excellent as Spurs controlled possession at Brentford on the opening weekend, and arguably even better in a pinball machine match against Manchester United six days later.
Before Saturday’s game, Bissouma’s best performances at Spurs’ magnificent stadium had come in Brighton colours. Finally, supporters are seeing the player they thought they were getting 14 months ago.
It is no surprise that Bissouma’s renaissance has come while playing in a team that wants to have the ball rather than one that treats it as though it is a bludger from a Harry Potter film.
Spurs had 70 per cent possession against Brentford and 55 per cent against United. Only Manchester City pass-master Rodri and Brighton line-breaker Lewis Dunk have attempted more passes than Bissouma so far this season. Both statistics paint a picture of the tactical evolution taking place.
Bissouma had to get through plenty of defensive work against United, making a team-leading seven tackles, but it is his dribbling qualities that have most caught the eye.
According to Opta, he has attempted more ball carries, defined as “any movement of the ball by a player which is greater than five metres from where they received the ball” than any other player in the division.
Although Bissouma has been the standout, Spurs’ first two matches under Postecoglou have been about a collective effort. For the best part of a decade, Spurs were defined more by their star player than any other club in the Premier League, but in the absence of a world-class figurehead, the responsibility is now being shared around.
James Maddison was superb at Brentford, capping his Spurs bow with a pair of assists, while Pape Matar Sarr enjoyed a coming of age performance against United with his first ever goal for the club. It was only the sixth strike of the 20-year-old’s professional career, but given how frequently he popped up in dangerous areas, it looks like a skill he could well hone in the coming years.
The crowd loved Sarr’s goal, a satisfying half volley into the roof of the net and the first of the Postecoglou era in north London. But they roared almost as loudly when he matched Marcus Rashford stride for stride before sliding in to perfection to prevent him from racing clear on the counter.
Sarr, like Bissouma, barely got a look in under the previous regime but has benefited from a fresh start. His display was a throwback to a bygone era when midfielders did everything: he flung himself into tackles (making three), had three more shots on goal (five in total) than any other Spurs player, hurtled forward when his team attacked, and rushed back again when they defended.
Pape Matar Sarr scores his FIRST goal for Tottenham!
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) August 19, 2023pic.twitter.com/vSZwUGERWr
“He’s been great from the moment I arrived,” Postecoglou said about the young Senegalese. “He’s got a great energy about him, but he’s got quality there too. He’s one of those midfielders who causes the opposition real problems because whether it’s him running with the ball or without the ball, he runs forward, he runs aggressively and he disrupts the opposition.”
Considering it was their first game together as a trio, Maddison, Bissouma and Sarr showed plenty of promise, dominating United’s midfield in the second half. There is a fine blend of talents there, craft and guile mixed with energy and dynamism with a dollop of aggression slapped on top for good measure.
Concerningly, Maddison departed the stadium on crutches with a protective boot covering his right foot. An injury lay-off for the new No 10 would be an almighty way to pop the expanding bubble of optimism. Maddison told journalists it was just precautionary; Spurs fans will be crossing their fingers and toes that that proves accurate.
This is a much-changed Spurs team from 2022-23 with four newcomers – Guglielmo Vicario, Micky van de Ven, Destiny Udogie and Maddison – to the starting line-up, and backups promoted to first-teamers. More than most, given their lack of involvement last season, Bissouma and Sarr epitomise the transformation.
Spurs fans make their voices heard in ticket price protest
Before the game a sizeable crowd congregated outside the stadium to protest against Tottenham’s decision to raise matchday ticket prices for members. The cheapest available ticket for Category A matches, which includes fixtures against Manchester United, is £65 this season – with fewer seats available compared to last season – and the most expensive priced at £103.
Quite a crowd gathering outside the stadium to protest against Tottenham’s increased ticket prices for members this season. Organised by @THSTOfficial
— Oliver Young-Myles (@OMyles90) August 19, 2023pic.twitter.com/pHThOdcaYL
Representatives from the Tottenham Hotspur Supporter’s Trust held u[ banners with “Stop Ticket Price Rises,” “Greed Is A Choice,”and “Stop Exploiting Fans” on them. Fans chanted against the price rises before directing their ire towards the board and Daniel Levy.
The club rejected the chance to reverse the changes after consultation with the newly-appointed fan advisory board before the season opener against Brentford, but pressure continues to be applied to an ownership group that raised prices after Spurs recorded their worst league finish in 14 years and before they decided to sell the club’s greatest ever goalscorer to Bayern Munich.
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/FnWTz1r
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