Premier League title chasers Tottenham Hotspur FC has started the 2022-23 league campaign in good form under beloved manager Antonio Conte after Spurs have yet to taste defeat in their first six domestic fixtures and sit just one point behind bitter rivals Arsenal who sit at the league summit.
But while most of the summer acquisitions made by Conte and club director of football Fabio Paratici have started the season on the right foot, one that hasn’t is 26-year-old Malian international midfielder Yves Bissouma, who, accordingly to Conte, has yet to adapt to the tactical demands set forth by Spurs’ Italian headmaster.
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Antonio Conte says midfielder Yves Bissouma is “struggling” with his tactical demands.#THFC pic.twitter.com/fAPVAqL943
— The Athletic | Football (@TheAthleticFC) September 15, 2022
Bissouma was part of a key core of performers under former Brighton boss Graham Potter during a four-year stint at the Amex Community Stadium after his arrival from Ligue 1 outfit LOSC Lille in the summer of 2018, and it was no surprise that the mercurial central asset eventually moved on to a bigger club in Tottenham while also fielding interest from Liverpool as well as regular links with Arsenal.
Unfortunately for the Ivory Coast-born midfielder, he has yet to set the standards that netted him his move to north London in the first place and while Conte stated that he remains “really happy” with the summer signing, Bissouma must “pay more attention” in his defensive duties according to the former Chelsea and Juventus manager.
At current, the central pairing of Pierre-Emile Højbjerg and Rodrigo Bentancur has been a very credible pairing for Conte to continuously rely on this season and one of the main catalysts behind Spurs’ ability to maintain the joint-second best defensive record in the Premier League behind Wolves, and the fact that Bissouma has started just once in six fixtures during the clubs 1-1 draw away at West Ham is a testament to the progression that is required from him in order to work his way into Conte’s thinking this season.
