‘Misfit’ Sissoko repays Pochettino faith

– Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino said he always believed in French midfielder Moussa Sissoko (right), even when most had given up on him as an expensive misfit.

Signed from Newcastle United in August 2016 for a fee of £30 million, Sissoko spent most of his first season as a bit-part player, usually starting on the bench.

This season, however, a switch to a more central role has seen him flourish in the middle and at Wembley on Wednesday the home crowd sang his name, just as they had a few days earlier when he ran Chelsea’s midfield ragged.

It was Sissoko’s marauding run into the Inter Milan area with 10 minutes remaining that finally unlocked the defence, allowing Christian Eriksen to seal a 1-0 win

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that kept alive Tottenham’s hopes of Champions League progress.

Sissoko has started the last six Premier League games and while Eriksen grabbed the headlines on Wednesday, it was the 29-yearold Frenchman who was rightly named Man of the Match.

“His team-mates are so happy that the fans are now starting to show the love,” Pochettino said.

“There was a tough period for Moussa but I remember one day I hugged him when he was coming off and I told him, ‘You are going to be a success here’.

While Sissoko lacks the silky touch of some of his team-mates, his hard graft and ability to steal possession in dangerous areas, together with his powerful runs, are offering Tottenham another useful weapon. – Reuters