When the French international first arrived at St. James’ Park in the winter of 2013, Moussa Sissoko was widely touted as the next big star to impress on Tyneside.
He brought with him a decent reputation with Toulouse F.C. in Ligue 1, and seemed as if he’d continue the French-themed success that had been present throughout the club during the early stages of his Magpies career.
Since then however, the 26-year-old midfielder has arguably turned out to be one Newcastle’s most unpredictable – and therefore most unreliable – players in recent memory. Sometimes Sissoko simply proves unstoppable when running at defenders in the final third, yet on other certainly less impressive occasions, the Magpies no. 7 looks as if he seemingly can’t put a foot right out there on the field.
So then, as the 2015/16 campaign has so far been one categorised largely by disappointment and frustration among the St. James’ faithful, should Steve McClaren still persevere with Moussa Sissoko as the rest of the season plays out?
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Well, for any football fan who has witnessed the Magpies do their thing in their last couple of Premier League fixtures specifically, the concept of removing Sissoko from the fold could well arrive as a questionable notion at best.
Although McClaren’s side ultimately went home the losers last time out against rivals Sunderland, the match was largely defined by Rob Madley’s weak decision to award a penalty to the Black Cats in the first half, after subsequently sending-off captain, Fabricio Coloccini, in the process. Yes, Newcastle should have perhaps shown a great deal more fight after the clear injustice issued to them on the day – but up until that ill-fated moment in the match – players like Moussa Sissoko were nonetheless proving somewhat influential in the final third.
The same can also be said of the bustling midfield enforcer for his more rewarding performance against Norwich City in the game prior to last Sunday’s Tyne-Wear derby. Sissoko may not have got on the score-sheet himself that game, but the former Ligue 1 star nevertheless put in a strong display worthy of picking up the man-of-the-match award had teammate, Georginio Wijnaldum, not stolen all the headlines with his show-stopping four goal tally.
Moussa Sissoko can therefore do the business for Newcastle when circumstances allow. The Frenchman is undeniably strong in the middle of the park, his ability to maraud forward has often seen his side profit as a result of his daring approach – and when the Magpies usually perform well as a collective unit out on the pitch – the 26-year-old midfielder is normally at the root of everything positive for Steve McClaren’s side.
The major problem surrounding this particular player in question however, undoubtedly arrives in the form of his sheer inconsistency. At times it seems as if Sissoko only really turns up when he wants to. There have equally been many, many games where the ex-Toulouse favourite has failed to register any kind of meaningful impact whatsoever – and sometimes even his overall technical skill lets him down in front of goal.
He seems like a player who may well possess the ability to achieve big things in the modern game, but will perhaps never go on to fulfil his full potential simply because he just doesn’t maintain a high level of performance on a week-to-week basis. Yes, Sissoko may well have been played out of position somewhat during his time on Tyneside – but that then leaves the question of what his actual role in the team is even supposed to be, open for evaluation.
In the end, Newcastle can’t afford to be relying upon this kind of luxury during the midst of the clear relegation dog-fight that awaits them this season. Although he could easily prove several of his doubters wrong this term, Sissoko arguably doesn’t possess the fight, leadership quality or appropriate mental attitude to save his side this term.
Steve McClaren should have potentially rid the Magpies of any player not up for the battle this summer, before the 2015/16 campaign actually got underway. As he didn’t however, now would ultimately seem like a strange time for the Tynesiders to remove one of their biggest names from the team-sheet and look to replace him with a largely untested, and likely equally questionable asset, later on down the line.
Newcastle seemingly find themselves in somewhat of a catch-22 situation right now. Although it would be nice to count upon guaranteed workers only in his starting XI, McClaren just doesn’t have the comfort of chopping and changing his squad too much either this term – and for that rather testing reason alone – the St. James’ faithful could still be in major trouble come the end of this so far very difficult season on Tyneside.
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