Key Takeaways
Tottenham beat Ferencvaros 2-1 in Budapest tonight in the Europa League.
Yves Bissouma thrived in midfield for Spurs in the game, winning 10 ground duels.
Postecoglou faces a selection headache ahead of Brighton on Sunday after Bissouma's excellent display against the Hungarian side.
Tottenham Hotspur's positive start to their Europa League campaign continued as they narrowly beat Hungarian side Fernecvaros 2-1 in Budapest on Thursday evening. The North London outfit fielded a team consisting of four teenagers, in what was a slightly disjointed performance in Eastern Europe.
In spite of the home side coming out of the blocks quickly and looking like the more threatening team early on, Spurs took the lead midway through the first half when Pape Matar Sarr capitalised on a defensive mix-up to slot beyond goalkeeper Denus Dibusz. In a largely uneventful second period, substitute Brennan Johnson continued his fine goal-scoring form by bending in off the post late on, before Barnabas Varga netted a consolation in the dying embers of the encounter.
The result leaves Tottenham second in the Europa League table for the time being, having accumulated maximum points thus far, with tricky games against AZ Alkmaar and Galatasaray to come in their next two fixtures.
One man who has received praise for his contribution to the triumph in Hungary is Yves Bissouma, with the midfielder staking his claim to start on the weekend in the Premier League against his former club Brighton. The Malian produced a dominant display in the middle of the park, and the stats reflect this, in what was a good night for him.
GIVEMESPORT Key Statistic: Yves Bissouma won more ground duels against Ferencvaros than any other Tottenham player (10).
Bissouma Thrived Against Ferencvaros
He won ten ground duels
Having started just two Premier League games out of Spurs' opening six, Ange Postecoglou appears to have lost some faith in Bissouma, opting to deploy a midfield trio of Rodrigo Bentancur, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski in recent matches, in an attempt to improve Tottenham's offensive prospects.
The 28-year-old was an unused substitute on the weekend during the Lillywhites' 3-0 win over Manchester United, and was banned for a game earlier this season after posting a video of himself consuming 'hippy crack'. He's also suffered an injury issue that kept him out for a short period after the last international break, in what has been a disruptive start to the season for the midfielder.
However, tonight could represent a turning point in the campaign for the ex-Lille man. With a SofaScore rating of 7.5, Bissouma's performance was impressive on the statistical front, with only Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro and Pape Sarr managing high ratings out of the cohort that started the game. Earning a purported £55,000 a week, a modest wage in comparison to the likes Romero and Porro, he's arguably delivering above what you'd expect.
Completing 89% of his passes, Bissouma was secure in possession, and drove Spurs up the pitch on numerous occasions, with his three completed dribbles seeing him manipulate the ball out of tricky situations and launch dangerous attacks.
However, it was the defensive side of his game that was perhaps more impressive. The mobile midfielder won a staggering ten ground duels, four more than any other player in a Spurs shirt. He also made five tackles, three interceptions and two clearances, constantly sweeping up Ferencvaros attacks and preventing them from exposing a high Tottenham line in transition.
This immense defensive contribution was integral to the traveling side claiming all three points, and arguably made his display the most important of any Spurs player, given the margins were ultimately tight in regard to the outcome of the game.
Bissouma Gives Postecoglou Headache
There's serious competition for places
Against United at Old Trafford on Sunday, Postecoglou's offensive set-up produced a mesmerising display, tearing Erik ten Hag's men to pieces in front of their own supporters. Such was the emphatic nature of the performance, pundit Micah Richards described Postecoglou's tactical choices against the Red Devils as a 'masterstroke', waxing lyrical about the midfield dynamic deployed by the Australian.
Bentancur sat at the base of the midfield, delivering a showing labelled 'excellent', with Maddison and Kulusevski pulling the strings in front of the Uruguayan. With all three purring in the north-west, contributing to a free-flowing and fully functional attacking outing, it'll be difficult for Postecoglou to mess with this formula and drop one of the three for the trip to the Amex this Sunday.
However, Bissouma's performance in Budapest surely merits a start against the Seagulls. The former Brighton man's defensive nous would provide extra stability in midfield for the Lillywhites, and Postecoglou must be deliberating making a change in this area to accommodate him.
An alternative option could be to drop one of the forward players - perhaps the out of form Werner - and move Kulusevski out wide. Regardless, with Spurs now on a run of five consecutive victories in all competitions, seclection headaches are inevitably developing for Postecoglou, and he'll certainly view this as a positive.