Moussa Sissoko made his first start for Tottenham Hotspur in the 1-0 Premier League victory over Sunderland at White Hart Lane.
Tottenham’s Moussa Sissoko in action with Sunderland’s Javi Manquillo
Moussa Sissoko made his first start for Tottenham Hotspur since his £30m deadline day move from Championship side Newcastle United – equalling the club record fee paid for a player.
The French midfielder lined-up on the right to face his former club’s local rivals Sunderland as a Harry Kane tap-in just before the hour mark helped Spurs claim a 1-0 victory.
Tottenham’s Harry Kane scores their first goal
The Black Cats were reduced to 10 men late on as Adnan Januzaj was dismissed following a second bookable offence and the result sees Tottenham move up to third in the Premier League table while Sunderland remain in the relegation zone without a win so far this season.
And although Sissoko has got off to a winning start in the Premier League for his new club, he is still struggling to make the impact he would have liked – as the stats show.
| Vs | Passing Accuracy | Won Tackle | Total Att Assist | Crossing Accuracy | Won Contest | Ontarget Scoring Att | Assist | Goals | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moussa Sissoko | Sunderland | 77% | 0 | 1 | 0% | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 90 |
Despite playing the full 90 minutes Sissoko wasn’t overly involved in proceedings as he didn’t manage a single successful tackle, cross or shot on target which isn’t exactly ideal for an attacking midfield player.
Tottenham’s Moussa Sissoko waits to come on as a substitute
Sissoko was by no means terrible on his first start and he’s clearly still getting used to things under Mauricio Pochettino but so far Spurs fans are seeing more of the Newcastle Sissoko rather than the Euro 2016 France Sissoko.
And when you compare the 27-year-old’s match stats to Tottenham’s other attacking midfield options, you can can see the areas in which he needs to improve.
| Vs | Passing Accuracy | Won Tackle | Total Att Assist | Crossing Accuracy | Won Contest | Ontarget Scoring Att | Goal Assist | Goals | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Son Heung-Min | Sunderland | 90% | 0 | 5 | 40% | 4 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 90 |
| Dele Alli | Sunderland | 75% | 4 | 4 | 0% | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 90 |
| Erik Lamela | Sunderland | 72% | 2 | 2 | 100% | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 |
Argentine winger Erik Lamela was only on the pitch 16 minutes yet his stats make for a significantly better reading than Sissoko’s over the 90.
It’s still early days and we often see players take time to settle in at their new club and Sunday’s game was Sissoko’s first competitive start since the Euro 2016 final so it would only be fair to give him the benefit of the doubt on this occasion.
However, with a £30m price tag on his head, expectations will be for Sissoko to turn the corner sooner rather than later.
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