The Tottenham Hotspur midfielder did not have the best game.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino usually gets it right when it comes to team selection, but that was not the case when Spurs took on Arsenal in the latest North London derby.
With Harry Winks’ surprisingly overlooked, Tottenham started Moussa Sissoko alongside Mousa Dembele in the heart of their midfield, and using the latter in a deep-lying role backfired spectacularly.
It should have been clear early in the game that a change was required, with Eric Dier shifting from the back-three to a role further forward, and yet it was beyond the hour-mark when Dembele was finally replaced by Winks.
Tottenham looked better thereafter, but by then the damage was done and Pochettino was left to reflect on what could have been.
Dembele is a fine player and you will not find many Tottenham supporters who want to stick the proverbial knife in given his previous form, Yet Sissoko was doing the work of two men for much of the game (even if the Frenchmam’s critics were again out in force after the full-time whistle).
Dembele was not the player to sit deep and Arsenal took full advantage of the mistake, leaving Spurs to suffer a defeat just when they would have been hoping to match second-placed Manchester United stride for stride.
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