Tottenham midfield ace Yves Bissouma produces a commanding display for Mali in a 1-0 win over Eswatini

Tottenham Hotspur stars have been catching the eye for their respective countries over the international break, much to the liking of Ange Postecoglou.

Yves Bissouma was in international action on Tuesday evening as Mali travelled to the Mbombela Stadium to face Eswatini in their second Africa Cup of Nations Qualifying group-stage fixture. After producing a strong performance in his nation’s 1-1 draw with Mozambique at home last week, the Tottenham midfielder helped Mali edge Eswatini.

The 28-year-old had scored a belter from the edge of the box against Mozambique and followed it up with another strike on Tuesday. Mali caught Eswatini cold by pouncing on a poor pass and Bissouma rifled a shot past their goalkeeper in the first half. Before his goals against Mozambique and Eswatini, the central midfielder had also scored a rocket in Spurs’ 4-0 win over Everton in the second game of the new season.

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Starting as one of the No.8s in a 4-3-3 formation, Bissouma ran the show for the visitors before being substituted in the 65th minute. He had 69 touches on the ball, completed 42/44 passes with a 95% accuracy, had two shots on target and attempted five successful dribbles out of eight.

The Malian won 7/12 ground duels, one tackle and showed the creative side of his game by making an eye-catching five key passes. (Stats courtesy: SofaScore)

Bissouma is becoming quite a goalscoring sensation for club and country of late. The Issia-born talent’s form is crucial for Spurs as he has done admirably well to put his off-field drama behind him. This shows the player’s mental resilience to bounce back from adversity and prove himself again.

The Mali international’s confidence would have been boosted by his performances over the international break. Primarily a defensive midfielder, the £55,000-per-week African has also given a timely reminder to Ange Postecoglou that he is more than capable of operating in an advanced role and influencing games in the final third.

Bissouma is a combative presence in the middle of the park, and his impressive displays for his nation over the international break should be great news for Big Ange and Spurs ahead of the gruelling September schedule.

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The North London Derby provides Big Ange’s men a golden opportunity to kickstart their season with a home win. The Lilywhites have performed well in all three games despite dropping five points, so there are a lot of positives to work on. However, whether Bissouma will be able to participate in the high-voltage game remains to be seen after he picked up a knock on international duty.