In this article, I will be analysing Yves Bissouma’s performance while in possession of the ball/when the team had the ball so far this season under Ange Postecoglou.
Background
Malian International Yves Bissouma joined Tottenham Hotspur on 14th June 2022 for a £30m deal from Brighton & Hove Albion & signed a 4-year deal. He excelled in the Premier League under Graham Potter. After joining Spurs, he did not get a lot of game time under Antonio Conte and was not trusted as part of his midfield two in his 3-4-3 formation.
Ange-Ball
Ange Postecoglou has a philosophy that he always sticks to regardless of the competition or quality of opposition –
- Entertaining & exciting style of play
- Attacking football
- Playing through the thirds
- Playing out from the back
- Retention of the ball
- Rotations & Interchanges
- Creating triangles & diamonds around ball carrier
Thoughts on Yves Bissouma
The 27-year-old midfielder is a midfield dynamo but has shown that he has shown signs that he can operate as a deep lying playmaker. He is known for his athleticism, high work rate & ability to cover a lot of ground both defensively and offensively. However, under Ange this season he has been orchestrating play and initiating attacks with his vision, composure, excellent passing accuracy and ability to dictate the tempo.
What Bissouma brings to the table?
Now let’s have a look at how he is using his qualities on the ball/when the team has the ball this season & transforming into a key cog in the Tottenham midfield. I have analysed 3 qualities that he brings to the table and picked up moments from some of the toughest games he has played so far against Liverpool & Arsenal.
1. His understanding of space
Bissouma has an excellent understanding of space on the football field. This understanding is a critical aspect of his play and contributes to his effectiveness on the field. The Spurs midfielder demonstrates an awareness of the space around him. This allows him to make quicker decisions on whether to pass, dribble or release the ball. The spatial awareness he possesses allows him to help maintain the tempo of the game & exploit gaps in the opposition’s defensive block.
This is what Ange Postecoglou once said –
“Ball speed’s very important for us – ball speed’s number one. Even when we’re keeping possession I don’t want the ball to move slowly. What does that mean? When we pass it, pass it with purpose.We need movement so the next pass is always available and not too many touches on the ball. One or two touches, we move it. We move together as a team.”
There are 3 principles of space: Create, Occupy & Attack. But, to apply any of those principles you have to first “Identify” which one has to be applied. Let’s look at some clips and see how he applies all principles of space when in possession of the ball/when the team has the ball.
Initially, Bissouma occupies space as part of a double pivot in between Liverpool’s ST & RW. Body position to receive 1st pass from RCB – back to goal, to attract pressure from ST. He then stays in the shadow of ST to get underneath Sarr. Moves out of space to attack another space & then become the wall pass to Sarr from RCB Romero. Better positioning from RB Porro would have helped Tottenham progress the ball up the field.
Bissouma occupies space between Arsenal’s 1st & 2nd line of press and centrally in between opposition front two. Receives facing forward & delays the pass out wide to attract pressure. As soon as the ball is played wide, he vacates the space for RB Porro to come into. RB Porro bounces it off to Bissouma near the touchline which helps in progressing the play forward.
Look at how Bissouma combines play with Maddison & Van der Ven to beat the Arsenal press by playing 1-2 touches max. Then he shows urgency to get on the ball from LCB Van der Ven.
Starting position – centrally in between & behind the 1st line of press. He then plays out wide to Sarr. Look how he holds his position as Sarr looks to cut inside looking to attack the space inside the opposition defensive block. Later, he drops back into space to find Porro who is the spare player by opening up his body.
2. Providing support
The Malian International has a really good sense of where he needs to be on the field as he is aware of how he should be positioned to receive passes or be available for his teammates when in possession. He always looks to position himself to be available for passes from his teammates especially the CBs to make it easier for them to play the ball to him. The videos below will show you how his movements are well-timed and purposeful. He knows when to drop into space to receive the ball and when not to.
Look at how he plays in the shadow of the left striker this time, allowing Maddison to get centrally in between the opposition front 2 and he is providing support underneath as a safe passing option with time & space.
A similar scenario to the previous one but in this the opposition is not pressing at the start. He plays a short back pass with his back to opposition goal to entice the striker to press which opens up a passing lane for RCB Romero to find Sarr in between the lines. Sarr bounces off to Bissouma who is underneath again. Sarr moving away opens up passing lane for Bissouma to find Udogie but an inaccurate pass makes them lose possession.
Look at the urgency Bissouma shows to provide support to RCB Romero when the opposition team is pressing high and with intensity. He receives the ball facing forward and creates time & space because of the urgency he showed initially and finds the ST Son in between the lines with a vertical split pass.
3. Breaking lines
Bissouma can break lines using his dribbling ability and close ball control by taking on opposition players which helps in drawing defenders out of position & open up opportunities for his teammates. The 27-year-old midfielder’s capacity to read and manipulate space on the field is an asset to his team. The clips below will show you how composed and confident he is in high-pressure situations.
In the above clip you can see Bissouma’s ability to make quick decisions under high pressure. He had a quick little scan just before receiving the ball which allowed him to attack the space behind him by carrying the ball through the lines.
His vision and passing is really good. Look at how he picks out his teammates with precise passes that are cutting through the defensive lines. He is brave in possession and is always willing to get on the ball.
Here you can see his quick decision making and see how he stays calm on the ball. Then he breaks the opposition’s 2nd line of press which was a decisive move to advance the play in this moment.
In my opinion, Bissouma is a press resistant player. Here is a glimpse of his ability to protect the ball and resist pressure from two opposition players which is another key factor in his success at breaking lines.
The Spurs midfielder’s physical attributes make him really effective at carrying the ball through the lines. Look in the above video how he accelerates away from opposition pressure, advances the ball and draws away defenders out of position.
Key Stats
I would like to highlight some stats of Bissouma on the ball where does he rank in comparison to other midfielders in the last 365 days. The stats below have been picked up from FBREF.
In the above videos we have seen Bissouma’s ability to break lines by carrying the ball and playing those incisive passes through the lines and it makes sense when you see the stats for progressive passes and progressive carries, he is placed around the 85th percentile.
Now the above picture tells us how good he is as a defensive midfielder when on the ball. The clips showed as that he was looking to get on to the ball and always provided support to his teammates. We can see that he is placed very low for long passes per game that’s because of the playing style Tottenham have adapted under Ange Postecoglou but it doesn’t mean he is not good at it. We can see that he has a very high long passing accuracy (76.1%) which places him on the 88th percentile in the world. He can definitely get more involved in the attack but I think he is doing what he is being asked to as a defensive midfielder.
His ability of taking on players is exceptional. He completes 72.7% of the take-ons he attempts, placing him in the 96th percentile. The Malian International also gets 83.27 touches per 90 which puts him in the 94th percentile. Bissouma shows desire to always be involved, urgency to get on the ball and look to break lines by playing/driving forward sets him apart from other defensive midfielders in the world.
Conclusion
Yves’ combination of technical skills, physical attributes and understanding of space allows him to be effective when breaking lines which can be useful when unlocking compact defensive setups and will come in handy for Ange this season as most teams will look to sit back and breakaway on the counter against them. He is neat and brave in possession and his qualities as a midfielder on the ball allow him to influence the game in multiple facets whether it’s driving the team forward, creating goal-scoring opportunities or simply maintaining control and balance in midfield.
We have seen plenty of Bissouma now in this article. Ange has definitely brought out the best of him as a midfielder and we can see that in the stats and clips above. Bissouma is adaptable to different roles in the midfield and he can be whatever Ange wants him to be.
Created using: https://once.de/once-video-analyser-pro/
Breaking The Block 