Yves Bissouma

[jrh]

Dropped from the Mali squad entirely now. Hopefully it's a wake up call for him, needs to rediscover his form and passion.

 

[braineclipse]

I maintain that this is a player we should upgrade if possible. He has the talent, but for me something is missing in consistency of application. Tough appraisal I know, but we need elite there and he is just above average IMO.

I definitely agree with you on consistency being a problem.

Don't think we need a dedicated destroyer as others have pointed to, we need someone who can also be useful in playing through pressure and progressing the ball.

I don't think we necessarily need someone with great passing. But someone who can work effectively under pressure and when progressing the ball either through passing or dribbling (preferably both, but probably can't get it all).

Bissouma at his best can do that. Not the passing bit as much, but the dribbling bit. Getting away from pressure, progressing the ball. Not consistently enough as you say though Steff. And we need that I think.

As others have said, if Hojbjerg moves on we need to replace him. And we should look for someone who can at least challenge Bissouma, be better than Bissouma when he's not at his best.

 

[Surfless]

earlier in the season when he was smashing it, the "head of music" and the guy who dressed all zany was cool. The issue is now that he's almost believed his own hype a bit too much and gone off the boil. Never easy having an international tournament in the middle of a domestic season, plus malaria etc, but I can't help thinking he needs to buckle down and just revert to doing the basics well. He's the most likely to trip up with the patented "Ange lets us make mistakes" scenario at the moment - he's a touch too roostery.

 

[tommysvr]

I thought he was very good yesterday, poor attempt at stopping Townsend aside. I also don't think he's been as bad has been made out, just not reached the expectations he set early in the season.

I enjoyed the double-kicking-the-ball away celebration...though I haven't been able to confirm if he got booked. The Premier League feed showed it at the time, but no site has picked it up yet.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1774331142168265023

 

[Bishop]

I thought he was very good yesterday, poor attempt at stopping Townsend aside. I also don't think he's been as bad has been made out, just not reached the expectations he set early in the season.

I enjoyed the double-kicking-the-ball away celebration...though I haven't been able to confirm if he got booked. The Premier League feed showed it at the time, but no site has picked it up yet.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1774331142168265023

I thought he was crap in the first half and came much more into it in the 2nd. If he's just loitering around midfield and playing quite timid passes that honestly often put the receiver in danger then he's not that useful and actually a detriment, but in the 2nd half when he started taking people on and beating them again it opened up space and terrified the opposition. That's the Bissouma that we saw at the start of the season. It adds considerable dynamism to our play and does help combat the difficulty we have in breaking settled defences. It's how he needs to play as without the dribbling he doesn't offer any variety on the ball as his passing range is small and unambitious.

It's almost a shame he was taken off just as he was begining to I don't want to exaggerate say boss it, but he was begining to really put his stamp on the match. On the other hand the tea. performance didn't drop when he went off which shows it was a good use of the squad and the deepest area of it.

 

[K.D.D.D.D.Soc]

I thought he was very good yesterday, poor attempt at stopping Townsend aside. I also don't think he's been as bad has been made out, just not reached the expectations he set early in the season.

I enjoyed the double-kicking-the-ball away celebration...though I haven't been able to confirm if he got booked. The Premier League feed showed it at the time, but no site has picked it up yet.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1774331142168265023

I thought he improved in second half like the rest of the team, too many of our player were coming short to our centre backs and condensing the space forcing passes to Vicario. I understand we are drawing them in but the passing must be quicker and we must take the risk of turning our opponents to make the break rather than passing back, Bissouma was doing that before his suspension and we looked a far better side when he does that.

 

[K.D.D.D.D.Soc]

I thought he was crap in the first half and came much more into it in the 2nd. If he's just loitering around midfield and playing quite timid passes that honestly often put the receiver in danger then he's not that useful and actually a detriment, but in the 2nd half when he started taking people on and beating them again it opened up space and terrified the opposition. That's the Bissouma that we saw at the start of the season. It adds considerable dynamism to our play and does help combat the difficulty we have in breaking settled defences. It's how he needs to play as without the dribbling he doesn't offer any variety on the ball as his passing range is small and unambitious.

It's almost a shame he was taken off just as he was begining to I don't want to exaggerate say boss it, but he was begining to really put his stamp on the match. On the other hand the tea. performance didn't drop when he went off which shows it was a good use of the squad and the deepest area of it.

You beat me to it by seconds.

 

[Bishop]

You beat me to it by seconds.

Haha yeah I saw we basically saw it similarly.

 

[parklane1]

Still not conviced he has the ability to get in front of Bents, Madds or Sarr. He seems to jog around instead of actually tracking players he should be. Their early goal was a example as he never really sprinted to track their player who put the cross in.

 

[fernadez]

Yeah, rubbish first half making no attempt to shake Barkley off or actually show for the ball. The result of being we have no build up and instead watch Romero and VDV pass it between them. Right before the half time whistle he beat three players with one drop of the shoulder and then kicked on. First half previous to that he was just passing it 5 yards backwards and sideways

Second half he was actually picking it up off the back two and keeper and then turning with the ball. Played passes forward and started attacks. All of a sudden the centre backs could split and the whole shape and emphasis of attacks changed. If he plays like that, then he'll start as he's the only real player we have with the skillset to beat a press dynamically. Bentacur has the skill but not the athleticism.

Out of the midfield I would actually think it's Maddison who's place would be threatened. Sarr has his own unique skillset, but Kulu, Lo Celso and Bentancur could all step underperforming Maddison, which I think he has been. Saying that first half Biss could easily be replaced by Hojberg.