Cristian Stellini on Yves Bissouma’s late withdrawal ahead of Pompey clash
Sat 07 January 2023, 16:30|
Tottenham Hotspur
Cristian Stellini revealed that Yves Bissouma was a late withdrawal from our 1-0 win against Portsmouth in the third round of the FA Cup on Saturday due to an ankle problem.
The midfielder was named in the starting line-up and came out for the warm-up, but was then replaced by Oliver Skipp ahead of kick-off, who partnered Pape Sarr in the central areas. Yves was left out of the matchday 20, with Romaine Mundle added to the substitutes.
Speaking to SPURSPLAY, Cristian, Antonio Conte’s assistant, explained: “Yves had an ankle problem, in the last two or three days he wasn’t good, but he tried to push himself to play. It’s important for the players to tell us if they are not ready to play a tough game like this, and Bissouma said to us, ‘I’m not 100 per cent, it’s better to play to Skippy and Pape together’.”
Cristian spoke further about Yves in his post-match press conference. “It's an injury that came from the last match. Bissouma has an ankle problem. He tried to push himself and we worked to have Bissouma on the pitch, but he was mature to say the truth and he was not 100 per cent. It's very good when the player speaks and tells us they are not 100 per cent and it's better to use a player that is available 100 per cent as Skippy was and he played a good match. We are happy that Bissouma spoke the truth and we could make the right choice.”
Asked if Yves would be ready for selection for next week’s north London derby, Cristian replied: “Yes, absolutely.”
