Sissoko "Outburst"!

[El Jefecito]

What I find amazing is that Momo started his career as a striker.

I know it's unbelievable isn't it. I guess we know why he is a midfielder now

[Kopite_Colin]

Momo does NOT protect the back four. He plays far in advance of a holding midfielder. His job is to press in the mid and final 3rds and win/recover possession. He does that better than anyone else.

If he can get his passing to the level it was at the beginning of the season and add a decent shot, he'll be irreplacable.

Only more recently (2nd half of this season) has he done that, when he and Xabi have been playing in the same 11 (and that's a poor decision in itself imho). When it's SG & Momo he plays much, much more withdrawn. Yes he presses but only when play gets into the middle third / our half. He doesn't play in front of SG in CM.

[El Jefecito]

Only more recently (2nd half of this season) has he done that, when he and Xabi have been playing in the same 11 (and that's a poor decision in itself imho). When it's SG & Momo he plays much, much more withdrawn. Yes he presses but only when play gets into the middle third / our half. He doesn't play in front of SG in CM.

Disagree, he's always played in that position

[Kopite_Colin]

Disagree mate. We'll just have to have a different opinion on this one I'm afraid.

[Michael]

dont see what the problem is in wanting to know what part youl be playing in the team.
claiming that hes trowing around ultimatims is a bit extreme.

Take a look at all of the News Now headlines about Sissoko...... now do you see the problem?

[Parm]

You need to learn to pass the ball and not destroy the shape of the team by running all over the place like headless chicken!

My suggestion to Momo would be to put on a tape of the final and watch Mascherano for 80 min!

[willa1975]

Realistically speaking, assuming we add a top-class RW and Alonso's still with the team next season, Momo's playing time will be seriously diminished as Gerrard will be back in the middle full-time. Sure, there will be times that we could use him, but he's not going to be preferred over the likes of Gerrard, Mascherano and Alonso.

If a good offer comes in, we should sell him on. Whatever transfer kitty we get from G&H is going to be swallowed up pretty quickly if we are to land the players we need to take us to the next level, and we're still going to need some funds to strengthen in other areas--particularly CB if Hyypia leaves, since we'll be left with only the woeful Paletta as cover.

[willa1975]

Momo does NOT protect the back four. He plays far in advance of a holding midfielder. His job is to press in the mid and final 3rds and win/recover possession. He does that better than anyone else.

If he can get his passing to the level it was at the beginning of the season and add a decent shot, he'll be irreplacable.

Yes, he can recover possession, but, to he honest, he offers nothing going forward, although he is almost always in the more advanced position when he and Alonso are together in the middle.

[El Jefecito]

Yes, he can recover possession, but, to he honest, he offers nothing going forward, although he is almost always in the more advanced position when he and Alonso are together in the middle.

Spot on, he definitely needs to add that aspect to his game. Imagine how good he would be if he managed it.

[Red_Polo]

Imagine how good any player would be if they managed it. But they don't just suddenly manage it do they? What is there to indicate Momo will all of a sudden bridge that huge gulf in quality? Overnight people don't just go from having mediocre control and technique, as well as poor passing and shooting, to being reasonably gifted attacking players. We're talking about a whole range of different skills that people develop from an early age when development is more rapid, and even then it occurs over the course of many years.

[El Jefecito]

Imagine how good any player would be if they managed it. But they don't just suddenly manage it do they? What is there to indicate Momo will all of a sudden bridge that huge gulf in quality? Overnight people don't just go from having mediocre control and technique, as well as poor passing and shooting, to being reasonably gifted attacking players. We're talking about a whole range of different skills that people develop from an early age when development is more rapid, and even then it occurs over the course of many years.

Dream wrecker

[Red_Polo]

Dream wrecker

No sentiment when it comes to deciding whether or not to ship out players. As things stand I'd keep Momo on, he can be seriously good for certain situations, but if a big offer came in or we could use him as a makeweight I wouldn't hesistate. Much as I do ****ing love the guy.

[dww]

Imagine how good any player would be if they managed it. But they don't just suddenly manage it do they? What is there to indicate Momo will all of a sudden bridge that huge gulf in quality? Overnight people don't just go from having mediocre control and technique, as well as poor passing and shooting, to being reasonably gifted attacking players. We're talking about a whole range of different skills that people develop from an early age when development is more rapid, and even then it occurs over the course of many years.

The end of his first season Momo showed he was capable of very neat short passing - which is all he needs. He also showed that with confidence and a run of games his control improved. The question is whether Rafa feels that this was a short term thing and can he do this more consistantly even if not played every match?

I think that Momos contibution in an attacking sense would be putting pressure on the opposition defence. I'm convinced that in a lot of situations that could be as valuable as a more conventional creative force.

I think he will be given next season to see if he can return to his bst on a consistant level. If he can't he will be and indeed should be sold. If we are to sell him before that I think we would have to get a very good fee as he has the potential to become a really class player in a specific role.

[Red_Polo]

The end of his first season Momo showed he was capable of very neat short passing - which is all he needs. He also showed that with confidence and a run of games his control improved. The question is whether Rafa feels that this was a short term thing and can he do this more consistantly even if not played every match?

I think that Momos contibution in an attacking sense would be putting pressure on the opposition defence. I'm convinced that in a lot of situations that could be as valuable as a more conventional creative force.

I think he will be given next season to see if he can return to his bst on a consistant level. If he can't he will be and indeed should be sold. If we are to sell him before that I think we would have to get a very good fee as he has the potential to become a really class player in a specific role.

His passing was definitely a lot better at the end his first season. But even then, all we're talking about is a major weakness he has now being ameliorated, rather than him being able to use his passing as an attacking asset - through balls etc. Keeping possession is more or less the limit for him when it comes to passing. If you're the most advanced CM player, you've got to offer more than that. The other thing is, if the opposition pressurise him on the ball even the more routine passes seem to become difficult for him, he just doesn't have that level of composure on the ball to be able to deal with it.

He can be a brutally efficient destroyer and disruptor of opposition attacks when he's on form, and if we're taking the approach that the major focus in a game is to stop the opposition playing then he can prove extremely effective. But I'd hope in future we are going to be using our guile on the ball as a team to stop the opposition having their way as much as by using our stopping power. Certainly I know which of those methods I want to see our furthest forward CM player capable of, and it's something Momo sadly isn't. I'm not 100% sure what you're getting at in the part I emboldened, but overall I'm struggling to see any genuine attacking assets Momo has. All his strengths are defensive ones IMO.

[Revo]

i read the whole article and it came across as a player very respectful of his manager and his club. a young player frustated by the lack of playing time not knowing that the sharks in the media live for days like this