While Yves Bissouma had some extremely impressive moments for Mali in their win over Burkina Faso on Friday, the Tottenham midfielder also had some lapses in concentration which would have not pleased Ange Postecoglou.
Postecoglou has opted to use Rodrigo Bentancur as his sole number six over recent weeks, with the Uruguayan keeping both Bissouma and Pape Sarr out of the starting eleven.
However, the former Juventus man was one of several Tottenham players who struggled in the second half against Brighton, with his part in the home side’s third goal coming under plenty of scrutiny.
Postecoglou might thus be eyeing some changes in midfield ahead of Spurs’ London derby against West Ham next weekend.
Bissouma did produce some glimpses of real quality on Friday as he captained Mali to a 1-0 victory over Burkina Faso in an African Cup of Nations qualifying match.
According to Sofascore, the midfielder won seven of his eight ground duels while also coming out on top in all of his aerial duels.
Bissouma also carried the ball with typical grace, succeeding in three of the four dribbles he attempted and winning four fouls for his side.
However, what would worry Postecoglou is the 27-year-old’s inconsistent passing, with the Mali man completing just 76 per cent of his passes and giving away possession a whopping 22 times in the game.
Additionally, none of the five crosses that Bissouma played into the box found its intended target.
Bentancur’s vision and his passing undoubtedly give him the edge over Bissouma when it comes to helping Spurs play through the opposition’s press quickly and build out quickly from the back.
However, physically, the former Brighton man is much better than the Uruguayan and is arguably much better at helping Spurs win back possession.
Against West Ham at home, one would expect Tottenham to have a lot of the ball, which is why Ange might be tempted to persist with Bentancur.
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