Moussa Sissoko; mention his name to any Newcastle United fan and you will more than likely trigger a lengthy debate, where a whole range of emotions come to the fore.
Following relegation to the EFL Championship, Sissoko was one of many predicted to depart and find pastures new, however, his move has not materialised yet, much to his annoyance. During the last 6 days, Sissoko has conducted no less than three interviews with any media outlet willing to give him the time of day.
I would like to take Sissoko’s interviews and rather than just comment upon his statements, edit them and provide the truths, which in my mind Sissoko is oblivious to.
From an interview with BBC World service, Sissoko was quoted
“They need to understand, I spent three-and-a-half years here (Newcastle)”
Yes, three and a half years Sissoko has played (or attempted to play which ever your opinion) for Newcastle United. He was thrust into the spotlight by the club and given the platform to play premier league football, whilst being paid handsomely for his role. There is not a heart-wrenching story or sad narrative, which Sissoko is clearly attempting to promote.
“I want to play in the Premier League; I want to play for a big club who can get into the Champions League.”
Newcastle United was a Premier league club prior to this season. Sissoko is clearly oblivious to this fact. Is there a possibility Moussa actually suffers from a form of amnesia? Has Moussa conveniently forgotten he was accountable as like his team mates for surrendering the clubs Premier league status?
I believe this statement goes a long way to displaying Sissoko’s character. He is unwilling to shoulder any responsibility to failure, he’d rather talk with a sense of arrogant entitlement which is used to distraction tactic to hide and manipulate the truthful narrative.
“The fans need to understand my situation; I hope they will and that everything will be OK.”
What is his situation? What do I need to understand? A player wishes to leave the club because he would like to play at a higher standard. That is not hard to understand! There is a problem with his situation however; as of today no club has made a transfer bid for Sissoko. Sissoko appears oblivious to how a transfer actually works. In order to move clubs you must first have a club who is interested in paying for your services. Giving the amount of interviews he’s giving clubs know his stance and knowing his agent will have undoubtedly be working overtime this lack of interest is rather amusing.
I interpret Sissoko’s words to mean I want to leave whether you agree or not. Everything will be ok if you agree with me and its hard lines if you choose not to agree.
“I hope Real will come for me, I’m still waiting”
Every professional footballer player dreams of representing the elite clubs in Europe. Very few are afforded the opportunity. The statement is cringe worthy and embarrassing and stinks of desperation. Media articles were released stating Real Madrid was interested in his services, but no formal approach has been made. Real Madrid is not the only club Moussa has stated his love for. Manchester United, Arsenal, Dortmund and Juventus have all been mentioned by Sissoko. To be quite honest I don’t think Moussa cares where his next destination is so long as it provides a larger pay packet and champion’s league football.
To many this may appear like a bitter rant. Frustration with relegation has seen a player targeted for criticism, this, however, could not be any further from the truth.
Sissoko burst onto the scene after a Rolls Royce display against Chelsea. Watching a large, athletic, powerful athlete maraud forward and at the same time give Ashley Cole a torrid time was a sight to behold. I believed Newcastle had signed a stellar midfielder however that is far and away from the truth. Three years later Sissoko has represented Newcastle 133 times and scored 12 goals. For a player who is so assured of himself, stats and figures do not back up his words. Too often games bypassed Sissoko, defeats and losing became a way of life. Sissoko was not the only player who allowed this to happen, however he did nothing to avert this trend. In times of strife international players stand up and be counted. Big players give their all and challenge team mates to stem the flow of negativity. Sissoko trotted along content to pick his wages up, whilst still offering little to the team.
I would really like to know what Sissoko’s best position is. The man himself claims behind the striker is his best role. I disagree and would go as far to say there is not one specific role Sissoko strives at. Sissoko scored one goal last season. His goal scoring prowess is weak at best. Many occasions saw Sissoko snatch at opportunities as opposed to the clinical tendencies of similar players within the premier league. Take away the lack of goals an attacking midfielder is seen as a pivot, a link between the midfield and attack that will create chances for team mates. Moussa lacks the passing range, vision and positioning to succeed in such a role. Many occasions Sissoko would collect the ball in between the lines and waste the opportunity with a misplaced or misjudged pass. Opportunities were regularly spurned with Sissoko operating in his “preferred role”
Sissoko spent the vast majority of his appearances for Newcastle United operating as a right winger. This role again is not suited for Moussa Sissoko. Sissoko has a habit or being selfish in wide areas. Preferring to dribble rather than bring team mates into the game. This habit saw Sissoko run into dead end channels which ultimately saw him surrender possession. In advance positions Sissoko struggled technically crossing the ball which is a major hindrance in this role. Sissoko was happy moving forward but for a man with such athleticism he is considerably lazy and provided little to no protection to the full back from opposing attackers. Sissoko has no discipline and was never comfortable marking and tracking on runners, much to my annoyance.
Sissoko was also tried in a deeper central role sparingly. Feb 14 springs into my mind. NUFC 0-1 Spurs. Sissoko was seen as the answer to Newcastle’s midfield troubles however Moussa failed at this task miserably. For such a large man he was frequently out muscled by the slight Nabil Bentaleb. Such performances were all too regular for a man who seemed not to care.
Rafa Benitez installed Sissoko as captain however only the final game of the season saw Sissoko give a performance of note (once we were relegated) which speaks volumes about the man.
Newcastle United has been very lenient with Sissoko this summer. Allowing sulky, unprofessional comment to be issued to the media without repercussions has angered the large fan base and I now believe something has to be done. Fining the player would be a great start. During Alan Pardew’s reign as manager Hatem Ben Arfa was fined for giving an interview to the media which was not approved by the club. Hatem spoke of his frustration of not playing for the club. Sissoko’s outburst has brought embarrassment to the club which shouldn’t be accepted under any circumstances.
It would give me no greater pleasure to see Sissoko rot in the reserves and forced to see out the remainder of his contract. In reality, we can only hope there is a club who is willing to take him and his limited abilities. One thing is not in doubt. Sissoko is unable to recognise truth and fact! No one player is bigger than Newcastle United.
