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This article is part of Football FanCast’s In Numbers sethreeries, which takes a statistical look at performances, season-long form and reported transfer targets…
Four first-half goals, a clean sheet and pressing their opponents well again – Saturday seemed like a perfect day for Tottenham Hotspur.
Not quite though, when you look at midfield mainstay Moussa Sissoko’s performance against Crystal Palace.
The France international has been an ever-present part of Spurs’ starting XI in the Premier League so far this season, and it was no different against the Eagles as he lined up alongside Harry Winks again in the middle of the park.
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In that particular role, the 30-year-old acts as a box-to-box player who must contribute from both a defensive and offensive point of view, but he was simply anonymous against Roy Hodgson’s men at the weekend.
It may have been a relatively one-sided encounter, but the fact that the Frenchman failed to make a single interception, tackle or clearance, according to WhoScored, is still slightly surprising given Winks made three interceptions and one clearance.
That wasn’t the only shortcoming in Sissoko’s game though, who failed to have a shot or make a key pass, and who was inaccurate with both of the crosses he attempted – meanwhile, his midfield partner had four shots.
It wasn’t a vintage day for the former Newcastle United man, and it was probably a bad time to put in an ineffective display given the circumstances.
Firstly, Mauricio Pochettino may well choose to rotate his squad for the Champions League visit to Olympiacos on Wednesday, and the 30-year-old could be one of those in danger of dropping to the substitutes’ bench in that case, allowing whoever comes in a chance to impress.
Secondly, competition for places in that central midfield area is rife right now, with Dele Alli, Tanguy Ndombele and Eric Dier all having to settle for a place on the bench against Palace.
It was hardly the ideal time to drop an average display, and Sissoko may well end up paying the price of what was a rare blot on his copybook on a perfect day for the north London outfit.
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