Tottenham Hotspur have been handed a huge boost in their bid to qualify for the Champions League after Aston Villa’s 3-3 draw against Brentford this weekend.
On Sunday evening, Ange Postecoglou’s side have the opportunity to go level on points with Unai Emery’s side as they face Nottingham Forest.
However, the Lilywhites don’t go into the game in the best of form themselves after narrowly beating Luton Town 2-1 at home and being held to a 1-1 draw by West Ham in midweek.
That said, there was one player who starred against the Hammers on Wednesday who simply must start if Spurs are to pick up the vital three points.
Yves Bissouma’s stats versus West Ham
Since the arrival of Postecoglou, Yves Bissouma has progressed brilliantly, becoming an irreplaceable cog in the Spurs system.
On Wednesday evening, the midfielder made his 21st start of the campaign in the Premier League, where he showed quality and class despite the fact that his side failed to complete the mission of winning.
Nonetheless, the 27-year-old showcased his ability on the ball, in particular against the Hammers, taking a huge 105 touches – the most of anyone on the pitch – and completing 93 passes with an accuracy of 96%.
However, Bissouma was also extremely impactful during his out-of-possession tasks, making two interceptions and being dribbled past zero times, which provided much-needed support for the backline.
Why Bissouma must start against Forest
Tottenham’s next stop on their journey to Champions League football is the Tottenham Hotspur stadium, where both Spurs and Forest need to pick up three points.
Nuno Espírito Santo’s side will go into the game off the back of an excellent 3-1 home victory against Fulham, which is just the latest example of how difficult it can be to play the Tricky Trees when they’re brimming with confidence.
Morgan Gibbs-White – who was comically described as an “Aldi Jude Bellingham” by analyst Raj Chohan – turned out to be the star of the show once again, scoring and assisting, and he will continue to be Forest’s main source of creativity.
Therefore, Bissouma will have a huge task on his hands, with his out-of-possession responsibility inevitably being to stop the number ten, which even Joao Palhinha couldn’t do last time out.
However, as you can see from the table below, Bissouma certainly has the ability to shackle the England international and help his side to three points.
Bissouma’s 23/24 PL Stats
Stats (per game)
Bissouma
Pass accuracy
92%
Pass accuracy (opposition half)
91%
Touches
86
Tackles
3
Interceptions
1.5
Balls recovered
4.7
Via Sofascore
As also highlighted against David Moyes’ side, Bissouma is extremely comfortable on the ball, which will inevitably enable Spurs to control the game.
With the former Brighton & Hove Albion player’s high pass accuracy and touches, the number of times that the Forest attack can get on the counterattack will, on paper, be low.
Bissouma also progresses the ball well and rarely gives it away in the final third, which will help Spurs sustain pressure in attack, and that could prove to be vital.
On the other hand, the “special” midfielder, as dubbed by journalist Julien Laurens, is extremely strong defensively, as you can see by his tackles, interceptions, and ball recoveries.
Alongside Pape Matar Sarr, the duo should dominate the Forest midfield with their athleticism and physicality, and their inclusion in the starting lineup will be absolutely imperative.
