Mousa Sissoko was one of the big-money signings for Tottenham in the summer, as they sought out to build the squad that had just qualified for the Champions League in style. Spurs may have missed out on the title, but it was still a positive season. Sissoko’s arrival into the squad was expected to challenge the squad to even greater heights. The midfielder was brought in from Newcastle United for a hefty amount, thus expectations were sky-high.
Just as in the case of many other big-money signings, the French international has found it difficult to perform straight away. Mauricio Pochettino came in with a public criticism of the player just after the defeat against Monaco. The 2-1 loss against the French outfit turned out to be a costly result for the team, as they crashed out of the Champions League at the group stages.
Sissoko was one of the high-profile names not to start the game for Spurs. When questioned about the decision after the game, Pochettino angrily reacted by saying that just because a player cost a lot of money does not mean that he should be included in the team. He is clearly unhappy with the performances of the 27-year-old, but the decision to come out in public criticism of a club record signing, who came to the club less than six months ago, was baffling indeed. Pochettino said after the Monaco game:
“He has failed to live up to expectations. Football is not about money.
“You need to show on the training ground you are better than another team-mate and you deserve to be involved.”
Pochettino has made a surprise U-turn and has no different than the former Newcastle man. Spurs went on from the 2-1 loss against Monaco into a similar score against Chelsea last week. As the club prepares for CSKA Moscow, pressure is on manager Pochettino to end a disappointing run of form that has seen the club win only once in the last 10 matches.
It was not long ago that Sissoko was putting in some great performances at the Euro 2016 for the French national team. It is simply a matter of the player finding it difficult to settle in straight away. Pochettino’s comments after the game against Monaco would have certainly not done any favours to the player, who is already finding it tough. Yet, he has now surprised many by making a complete U-turn in the space of a week.
As quoted by Sky Sport, he said:
“Sure, it’s not easy for them and he’s 27 and with different habits and it’s not easy for him, it’s not easy for anybody.
“I have been happy with his attitude this week. He trained very hard but it is not a big issue for me. All the players need to understand that we are a 24-man squad. I am the boss.”