Tottenham's European aspirations took a severe blow on Saturday afternoon as they fell to a 2-1 defeat away at fellow European contenders Aston Villa. Just not getting going at all in the first half at Villa Park as the hosts took a 1-0 lead into the break courtesy of Jacob Ramsey's eighth-minute strike, Spurs, as they have been over the course of the season, were much better in the second half.
Despite creating some good openings, most notably Harry Kane's chance on goal shortly after the interval, it was Villa who scored the crucial second goal of the contest as Douglas Luiz found the net from a free-kick. Pulling one back on 90 minutes as Kane converted from the penalty spot, the striker's 27th league goal of the campaign proved scant consolation.
A day with very few positives for Tottenham, one plus acting head coach Ryan Mason could take from the game was the return to action of Yves Bissouma. Going under the knife in early February to repair a stress fracture to his left ankle, Bissouma has spent the past three months at Hotspur Way working his way back to fitness and desperately watching on as his teammates take to the field.
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Named in the matchday squad for last weekend's win over Crystal Palace, Mason admitted in his pre-match press conference ahead of the trip to Villa that the Mali international's return to the 20-man squad one week ago "was probably a bit premature" but he felt it was important for the player to be with the group. Not taking to the pitch in the 1-0 win over the Eagles, Bissouma was introduced in place of Oliver Skipp in the 61st minute as Tottenham looked for a way back into the contest at Villa Park.
Coming on at the same time as Dejan Kulusevski, the duo made an instant impact down the right flank that resulted in Bissouma winning a dubious free-kick as he appeared to slip when contesting for the ball with Ramsey. Moments later he showcased his quality with an excellent through ball to Son that split the home defence, only for his teammate to be flagged offside.
Linking up well with the South Korean on a couple of occasions, the 26-year-old gave the Lilywhites a much-needed injection of energy into the team as he caught the eye in a bright showing. Looking a shadow of the player that wowed at Brighton & Hove Albion in his first few months in a Tottenham shirt, Bissouma looked more like his old self in his short time on the pitch.
As per FotMob, the midfielder was accurate with 30 of his 31 passes, he completed both of the long balls he attempted, he made seven passes into the final third and he won one of his two ground duels. Bissouma was undoubtedly a big plus point on a dire day for Tottenham and he stated after the game that he is ready to play more in the run-in.
"Yeah, I'm ready, I'm ready to play," he told SPURSPLAY. "If they are questioning me, I'm ready to play. I'm here to help the team, my teammates and everyone.
"So I'm always ready to play because the last three months wasn't easy for me. I'm just working really hard and now I think I'm OK and ready to play to help the team more than today."
When asked about how tough the past three months have been for him, he explained: "It was really hard for me because three months I didn't play. To be back today I was really happy to be back, but at same time not as happy because we lost the game.
"For me I think about the team, not just me. I am happy to be back but the result wasn't good for us so we are a bit sad.
"It was really hard for me. Every day I worked really hard to come back stronger. I think I am good physically and I'll try to help the team how I can for the last two games."
A real shame for Bissouma that he sustained the injury when he did as regular game time would have been there for him with Rodrigo Bentancur on the sidelines, he at least now has the opportunity to end his first season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on a positive note. His first 12 months in N17 have not gone to plan at all and he will very much be like a new signing for the next head coach due to his lack of action and also because Spurs have not seen the player who was a driving force in Graham Potter's exciting Brighton team.
Bissouma will now be more determined than ever to make a case for himself in the final two games of the season and go into the summer on a high. Mason can hand him that opportunity in the next two games by changing the midfielder partnership of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg and Oliver Skipp that has played week in, week out since February, and what the player produces across the 180 minutes could hint at what is to come from Bissouma under the next head coach.
Certainly looking restricted under Antonio Conte with the former head coach admitting that his new signing was struggling with his tactical demands earlier in the season, the ex-Lille man perhaps needs a bit more freedom to his game to bring the very best out of him. He most definitely looked more like the Brighton version of Bissouma in his playing time at Villa Park on Sunday.
Such a key player in the heart of the Brighton side prior to his move to Tottenham, Bissouma can have a key role in the next manager's Tottenham blueprint going forward as he all the qualities to be major success in north London. A season to forget for the player and the club, the 2023/24 campaign could be when Tottenham fans get to see the real Yves Bissouma. Mason now has an opportunity to give them a taste of what's to come.
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