Ange Postecoglou says he thought £55k-per-week Tottenham player was ‘outstanding’ vs West Ham

Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou was left seriously impressed with one of his players on Tuesday night.

The Lilywhites were forced to accept a point against West Ham in a game which could have taken them into the top four.

However, Ange Postecoglou’s men were only able to climb within two points of their top four rivals Aston Villa who play tonight against Manchester City.

But it was not all doom and gloom for the Australian with Postecoglou admitting there was one player, in particular, which impressed him against the Hammers.

What Ange Postecoglou said about Yves Bissouma

Spurs came into the game against the Irons on the back of three points against Luton Town at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

The game did, however, see one player come under some criticism for his involvement in the visitor’s goal as Yves Bissouma failed to close down Andros Townsend.

But the Mali midfielder was able to keep his spot in the starting XI with the change in midfield seeing Pape Matar Sarr drop out for Rodrigo Bentancur.

Spurs were, once again, unable to keep a clean sheet with the Hammers scoring from a corner.

However, speaking after the game, Postecoglou admitted he was impressed by the work put in from his 27-year-old midfielder.

He said: “I thought tonight especially in our general play, our build-up and our organisation. I thought Biss was outstanding tonight and the back four handled.

“Look at their front four and they’ll cause any team problems. I thought there was a better structural maturity in our game tonight than say like against Fulham so for me that’s progress.”

What Postecoglou recently said about Bissouma’s form

It has been a difficult period for the £55k-per-week midfielder who has had a fairly turbulent season on the whole.

Having missed time earlier in the season through suspensions and international duty, Bissouma’s form for Tottenham has been heavily disrupted.

The Mali midfielder started off the season in fine form and was showing fans just what they were missing under Antonio Conte.

But recently, he looks to have lost confidence and some of his identity in what makes him an impactful, progressive midfielder.

Here is a brief summary of his performance against West Ham.

Statistics via SofaScore.

Postecoglou has recently commented on Bissouma’s form suggesting it correlates with Tottenham’s season in general.

He said: “Like everyone else, and like us as a club, he hasn’t really hit the consistent levels he’d want to. But that’s OK. That’s where we’re at. That’s where he’s at. That’s where a lot of the group are at. The challenge is to fight through that and make sure you come out on the other side stronger and more consistent.”

With his form dipping and Bissouma enduring a difficult Africa Cup of Nations having contracted malaria, it has been a tough couple of months.

And it may have been made even harder for the 27-year-old when he was a shock omission from the recent Mali squad for the March international break.

It is said the news did not go down well in Bissouma’s camp, but surely he can use that as fuel to improve his performances.