Soccer Football - Premier League - Tottenham Hotspur v Liverpool - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London, Britain - November 6, 2022 Liverpool's Roberto Firmino in action with Tottenham Hotspur's Yves Bissouma REUTERS/David Klein EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or 'live' services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club /league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.
Journalist Tom Barclay has reacted to a Tottenham injury development involving midfielder Yves Bissouma.
The Lowdown: Bissouma on the treatment table…
The Mali international, coming after an injury to first choice goalkeeper Hugo Lloris, now also looks set to be out for the foreseeable future.
Claims emerged earlier this week of Lloris being out for around 6-8 weeks after the Frenchman suffered a knee injury in Tottenham’s 1-0 victory over Man City.
In the last 48 hours, news also came to light that Bissouma sustained a stress fracture which required surgery – leaving manager Antonio Conte short of a midfield option.
The Latest: Barclay reacts to Bissouma blow…
Reporter Barclay claims this is a ‘tough’ one for the midfielder to take personally, especially considering he has been fighting for Premier League minutes all season.
He explained:
“It’s been a tough season for Yves Bissouma already, beginning with Covid and injury, then struggling to adapt to Conte’s style, now this. A stress fracture builds up over time rather than a specific incident, and often the recovery is much quicker, but depends on the surgery.”
The Verdict: Very unlucky…
Bissouma was world class for Brighton last season and it’s desperately unlucky that he hasn’t been able to showcase that true quality.
As per WhoScored, the African star averaged a higher pass accuracy (89.2%) than any Seagulls star and displayed a real fluidity in the middle of the park under Graham Potter.
Overall, Bissouma stood out as Brighton’s second-best performer behind Moises Caicedo – all whilst making more successful tackles and interceptions per 90 than anyone in their squad.
The 26-year-old is yet to replicate that form under Conte, mainly due to a lack of opportunities, and we believe he could get more of a chance next season.
It can sometimes to take for signings to truly settle in, especially with a style as particular as Conte’s, with time and patience potentially required.
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