Lee Dixon heaped praise on Tottenham midfielder Moussa Sissoko and claimed he was brilliant at times in the 3-0 win over Borussia Dortmund.
The former Arsenal player highlighted several elements of the 29-year-old latest display, including his unselfish running, and pointed out that he didn’t think the player was capable of such a performance this time a year ago.
Dixon added that he credited Mauricio Pochettino for the transformation of the Spurs central midfielder and the environment that the player was applying his trade in.
“Especially players like Sissoko, I didn’t think he could…, he performed brilliantly today at times, he did unselfish running into the corner late on, making angles, being involved in everything, I didn’t think he had that in him a year ago, and for me that’s Pochettino, that’s the coach that’s the environment that he is playing his football in, so all credit to him,” said Dixon on BBC’s Football Daily (15:25).
OPINION
Sissoko’s transformation has been impressive this season as many Spurs fans wouldn’t have shed a tear if he had exited the club in the summer. However if he was to pack his bags anytime soon, they’d be gutted as Sissoko has more than proved his worth this season. The 29-year-old was impressive against Dortmund just like Dixon stated and his displays more often than not this season have hit the mark. Sissoko has played 29 times across all competitions this season and finally looks like the player you thought he could be after joining from Newcastle United. It’s fair to say that while Pochettino’s influence on the player’s improvement is no doubt key, the 29-year-old himself deserves credit for wowing this season. It must have been hard for Sissoko to turn his Spurs career around in the way that he has, as fans weren’t making it easy for him whenever he was given a chance to feature.