Tottenham Hotspur’s crumbling campaign was left in a pile of rubble after a thrilling 4-2 defeat against Liverpool in the Premier League that illuminated the defensive deficiencies and offensive forte of Ange Postecoglou’s fledgling side
It was the fourth successive loss in the English top-flight for a Spurs side that has felt every emotion throughout a tumultuous season, all but ending the slender hopes of reaching the division’s top four despite Aston Villa’s loss at the AMEX earlier in the day.
With Newcastle United now encroaching on Tottenham’s fifth-place spot, Postecoglou will need to think fast to change the tune, and ditching Yves Bissouma for the final phase must surely now be on the agenda.
Yves Bissouma’s stats vs Liverpool
Bissouma has ebbed and surged in form this season but he’s finishing the campaign with a whimper and is doing himself no favours when it comes to continuing as the first-choice holding midfielder next season. He must be dropped.
As per Sofascore, the former Brighton midfielder played the full 90 at Anfield but failed to effectively protect the defence, taking 84 touches but squandering possession 14 times and losing nine of his 12 contested ground duels.
An elite athlete, Bissouma didn’t produce the finest physical performance either, being dribbled past twice and failing with both of his attempted dribbles.
It certainly wasn’t his worst performance in recent weeks. Bissouma was energetic and Bissouma was crisply involved in the build-up to Richarlison’s consolation strike.
The Evening Standard’s Malik Ouzia stamped a 4/10 match rating on Bissouma, writing: ‘Struggled to offer anything in the way of meaningful protection to the back four again. Helped to make Richarlison’s goal with a smart pass.’
He’s not proving himself worthy. Postecoglou has a big vision and the 27-year-old simply isn’t proving that he deserves a starting spot in the team.
Why Spurs must axe Yves Bissouma
This has persisted for too long now, like a storm that won’t seem to abate. The prominent success of holding midfielders such as Rodri, Declan Rice and Real Madrid’s Aurelien Tchouameni this season highlights the need for a top-class No. 6.
Bissouma’s athletic imperatives are quick to disclose a pretence of formidability on the pitch but natural talent is only one of the many facets that make the player, and his frailties have been exposed with itchy regularity over these recent months, coinciding with Tottenham’s slump.
It’s no coincidence that Postecoglou enjoyed his warmest days down N17 during the start of the season when Bissouma was fit and firing and ferocious in his midfield work.
The Malian is indeed a high-quality player, ranking among the top 1% of midfielders across Europe’s top five leagues over the past year for pass completion, the top 11% for progressive passes and the top 4% for tackles per 90, as per FBref.
But sustained runs of form are few and far between for this limping Lilywhite. Is Bissouma on an irrevocable spin toward the nadir of his Premier League career? Is the end nigh at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium?
Postecoglou will have the answer, his answer, held within, but he has openly admitted in recent weeks that “change has to happen” at Tottenham this summer – based on Bissouma’s protracted lumber, he is among the frontrunners for the chop.
