If you saw today's preseason match with Portsmouth and you didn't notice Momo Sissoko's tremendous performance, perhaps you should have your eyes checked. What was even more impressive is that he was being used 'out of position'. Or was he?It seems that this preseason, Rafa has been pushing Momo forward when he's paired with Xabi, with Alonso playing back as the holding midfielder. At first, it didn't seem to be working. Momo just didn't seem comfortable there, which is understandable being he's not used to playing that far forward, but he's quickly adapting and becoming more of a force on the attack.
This is a great idea by Rafa to make Mali midfielder more diverse. He's already proved he can be the dominate man in the middle, but now it seems he's getting better at being more of a box-to-box midfielder as well. His dribbling, passing, and overall decisions on the ball seem to improve by the game, and the only thing he needs to do to complete the process is to learn how to shoot. I mean, I know he knows how to shoot, but it's the when that most never figure out.
You can definitely tell he's learning a lot from his peers. For example, today he made a Xabi-esque pass, belting a spot on 35-yarder to an on-the-go Pennant which was nothing less than stunning. My jaw dropped when I saw it and all I could think about was, I'm glad we didn't sell him. Before you know it, he's going to pull a rabbit out of a hat and start playing the flanks. Now that would be impressive.
I have to admit it though, I had given up on Sissoko by the end of last season, but I'm man enough to admit I was wrong. A fully fit Momo is a scary prospect, a confident one will strike terror in our opponents hearts and minds. Potentially, we've got a legend in the making on our hands, let's just hope he stays healthy enough to get to that level.
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