“I kind of grabbed him”- Ange Postecoglou reveals how he has helped turn around Yves Bissouma’s Tottenham form

Ange Postecoglou reveals how he has helped turn around Yves Bissouma’s Tottenham Hotspur form

Yves Bissouma has been handed a new lease of life at Tottenham Hotspur since Ange Postecoglou’s arrival this summer.

Spurs signed the Mali international from Brighton & Hove Albion in the summer of 2021 for a fee of £25million. That is, by no means, a small investment but given his form for the Seagulls, the deal seemed like a bargain.

But Bissouma failed to impress Antonio Conte, who claimed that he was struggling to adapt to Tottenham’s playing style and tactics. He had a poor debut season in north London, playing less than 1,300 minutes across competitions.

Under Postecoglou, he has been seeing regular playing time and has featured in all four of Spurs’ Premier League games this season so far. It is evident that the defensive midfielder is finally finding his footing at the club.

A brilliant manager working his magic

Talking about what changed for the former LOSC Lille Metropole midfielder under his guidance, the Greek-Australian tactician told TalkSPORT:

“I was lucky because Biss [Bissouma] was here from the first day I arrived. Many of the boys were playing international football, and I kind of grabbed him. The way he was training… at the time, the first three or four sessions, we mainly had young guys.

“I said ‘you can be a leader in this group’. I already knew of his ability, and the way he was training, I could see he got a lift with that. “He was late the next morning, and I said ‘to be a leader means to be on time’, and he has been good since then.”

Ange seems like a great manager. Rekindling Bissouma’s form has almost made him a new signing for us with regard to his inclusion in the starting XI on a regular basis.

The 27-year-old is a smart defensive midfielder who is pretty good in possession and doesn’t back down from a 50-50 challenge. He is the steel our midfield needs for players like James Maddison to work their magic in the final third without much pressure.

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Those who have seen him would say that he is more agile and mobile than Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg in defensive midfield. Perhaps he can be Ange’s main No. 6 here, given how keen Spurs were to sell the Denmark international this summer.