Tottenham defender Ben Davies has shot down critics of midfielder Moussa Sissoko after admitting that supporters’ comments would be having some sort of effect on the Frenchman.
The former Newcastle star was much-derided in north London in his first season after a £30million move from Tyneside and has never really established himself in the starting XI, often being used as backup or simply left unused by manager Mauricio Pochettino.
Having heard plenty of criticism heading the way of his teammate from the north London faithful, Davies took the time to insist Sissoko was as hard a worker as anyone else in the side and had been singled out unfairly.
He told Football.London: “If you get told you’re not playing well it’s going to get in your head.
“He got a bit of flak, sometimes unfair, and he became a bit of a scapegoat when we didn’t perform at our best.
“He’s an incredibly hard worker and that’s what we’ve got throughout this team – boys who work hard and are willing to put the effort in on the training ground. It’s paying off in the matches for us. He’s no different to anyone else in that regard.”
Opinion
Davies is doing the right thing by defending his teammate and it shows great camaraderie among the Spurs squad but at the same time, some of the criticism levelled the way of Sissoko was completely validated. He has hardly lived up to his £30million price tag, with the number of top quality performances he has put in able to be counted on two hands and he is obviously lacking behind some of the very top Tottenham stars in terms of natural talent. What Sissoko possesses is a natural athleticism, using stamina, pace and power to try and overcome the opposition, but that does not make up for pure footballing ability. It is quite clear from the likes of his first touches to his decision making on the pitch that he does not possess what the likes of Christian Eriksen or Dele Alli do and that is why he has come under fire. Perhaps some of the critics have been a little harsh but when the club are pushing for glory, the likes of Sissoko are only dragging them down.