Although I have no qualms with the improvement that Lucas Leiva has made over the last year or so, the Liverpool midfield is still lacking a physical presence which I feel we need if the Reds are ever to become Premier League champions. On the other hand, Javier Mascherano was a great tackler and covered every blade of grass on the field but a crucial element missing in his game was his lack of ability in the final third of the pitch. He could strike a decent shot from distance on occasion, and distribute the ball neatly but he was first and foremost a midfield destroyer. I am of the opinion that we could be missing a trick in this area. Although Lucas is a somewhat competent tackler and passes the ball efficiently, he is not a commanding presence who can intimidate the opposition. With Gerrard unfit, Meireles up field and Lucas isolated, the problem was magnified against West Ham when we were basically outmuscled and out fought. There is need fundamentally for Patrick Vieira style presence in the Reds midfield. There are a few candidates which the Reds have been linked with in recent months. The most notable have been French stars Yann M’Vila, Etienne Capoue and Blaise Matuidi but the most recent is Toulouse international Moussa Sissoko.
Tall and rangy like his namesake, and former Reds player, Momo, he also has developed a knack for scoring goals, making him the archetypal box-to-box midfielder. After growing up in the Le Blanc-Mesnil suburb of northern Paris, Sissoko then he moved to join Toulouse in 2002. Before he signed a professional deal with the French club, Sissoko was already being tracked withLiverpool and a number of other Premier League clubs, but he chose to stay in France to continue his footballing development and signed professionally in the middle of the 2006/07 season.
For the start of the 2007/08 season, Sissoko was promoted to the senior team and given the number 22 shirt by manager Elie Baup. Playing as the defensive midfielder behind Achille Emana and captain Nicolas Dieuze, he played 36 times during his first campaign and scored two goals. Despite his success though, Toulouse finished only one place above the relegation places and Baup was sacked as manager. His replacement Alain Casanova would still however use Sissoko and the player signed a contract extension until 2012 to keep the player at the club.
The 2008/09 campaign was to prove to be a very successful one for both Toulouse and Sissoko. With the departure of Emana to Real Betis, Casanova employed Sissoko in a more advanced role in midfield with fellow youngster Etienne Capoue taking the defensive midfield role. The ploy worked as Sissoko scored 5 goals during the season, helping Toulouse finish fourth in Ligue One. The young star’s success attracted the attention of France Manager Raymond Domenech. After playing at every youth level for France, he was picked in the senior squad for France’s World Cup qualifier against the Faroe Islands in August 2009. Although he didn’t make his debut in that match, he did in the returning fixture against the Faroes in October and made his first start in the subsequent qualifier against Austria.
Sissoko has also continued his successful stint in Toulouse’s midfield scoring 8 goals last season as Toulouse finished 14th while he has already scored 5 this campaign as the French club lie 11th in the table. At 21, and with 3 French caps to his name, Sissoko looks a very exciting prospect, and although it would be way too presumptious to call him the “new Vieira” as some in the French press have, his star is certainly on the rise and hehas been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool in recent days. The player himself has commented that the Reds have shown interest in him and the club are rumoured to be leading the chase for his signature. Watch this space.
Read more of David’s work at the excellent Live4Liverpool