Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou will be furious after what Yves Bissouma did in defeat v Fulham
Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou would have been fuming after Yves Bissouma was “nowhere to be seen” in the buildup to Fulham’s second goal on Saturday (16 March).
Spurs were beaten convincingly in West London as Marco Silva’s side ran out 3-0 winners at Craven Cottage.
After their big 4-0 win a week prior against Aston Villa at Villa Park (10 March), Ange Postecoglou’s side had the opportunity to leapfrog Unai Emery’s men and move into the Premier League top four.
However, they never got going against Fulham and were second-best all over the pitch, with the defeat leaving them in fifth, two points behind Villa.
Rodrigo Muniz grabbed a brace for the hosts while Sasa Lukic scored his first goal in Fulham colours as Spurs failed to find the back of the net in a Premier League game for the first time under Postecoglou.
In truth, Guglielmo Vicario was the only Spurs player who could leave the pitch with his head held high, and Postecoglou would have been particularly frustrated with one of his midfielders.
Yves Bissouma continues to demonstrate signs of inconsistency under Ange Postecoglou at Tottenham
Bissouma has been unplayable at times this season, while he has also experienced plenty of afternoons to forget with two red cards to his name across the 2023/24 Premier League campaign.
That level of inconsistency couldn’t have been characterised better than by his performance against Fulham.
Statistically, the Mali international was near-perfect as he completed 93 per cent of his passes, 100 per cent of his dribble attempts, won 100 per cent of his aerial duels, and won four of his five ground duels while also making two tackles (Sofascore).
However, football isn’t played on paper, and as Tim Sherwood pointed out while speaking on Premier League Productions after full-time (7:45 pm, 16 March), the 27-year-old’s work off the ball left a lot to be desired.
The former Spurs manager turned pundit noted that Ryan Mason was pointing out how much space Bissouma was leaving in the middle of the pitch, particularly in the buildup to Fulham’s second.
Sherwood said, “(James) Maddison is too advanced forward. Bissouma is nowhere to be seen and is over this side. (Pape Matar) Sarr is over this side.
“He (Mason) is pointing it out because it’s obvious to everyone. The boys have to recognise that on the pitch. The manager can’t do everything.
“It’s a good finish, in the end. But because you leave the middle of the park open. We talk about Tottenham trying to put pressure on – it was really poor defending from Tottenham, but you have to give credit to Lukic. He ran into the box. Even after that, Bissouma had to follow him in. He almost watches him go.”
As Alexander Iwobi picked up the ball out wide, Lukic had acres of space on either side of him with none of Spurs’ midfielders anywhere near the 27-year-old.
Iwboi played the ball out wide to Timothy Castagne who was making a run on the overlap. As Castagne picked up the ball, Lukic began to make a run into the penalty area with Bissouma not alert to the danger.
Castagne’s cross was then turned home by Lukic, with Bissouma nowhere near the Fulham man by the time he got the final touch on the ball.
It was yet another moment to forget for the Spurs midfielder, adding to his ever-growing catalogue this season, and Postecoglou will need his man to find some form soon if the North London side are to have any hope of qualifying for the UEFA Champions League.
In other Tottenham news, Daniel Levy will be delighted after an “exceptional” verdict emerged on Joe Rodon.
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