Hugo Lloris says Moussa Sissoko 'deserves credit' at Tottenham
Spurs face Arsenal live on Sky Sports at 2.05pm on Super Sunday
Thursday 29 November 2018 08:18, UK
Moussa Sissoko "deserves credit" for his recent performances, according to his Tottenham and France team-mate Hugo Lloris.
The 29-year-old winger has often failed to impress since his £30m Deadline Day move from Newcastle in the summer of 2016 but is now enjoying a rich vein of form in the Spurs team, especially since moving to central midfield.
Mauricio Pochettino made that decision after injuries to Vincent Wanyama and Mousa Dembele and it has resulted in some of Sissoko's best performances in a Tottenham shirt, including Wednesday's win over Inter Milan.
Spurs beat their Champions League Group B rivals 1-0 at Wembley and captain Lloris heaped praise on his compatriot Sissoko after the game.
"He deserves all the credit," Lloris told Sky Sports. "Even in a difficult situation, he kept believing in himself.
"He kept walking out and was always ready to help the team. I think this is a reward for all the work he has done since he signed for Tottenham.
"Now we can really see his value and importance within the squad.
"Moussa is a fantastic spirit. He is really appreciated in France, in the national team, that is why he is really appreciated in the squad in Tottenham.
"He is a great team-mate and the first to lead by example, on and off the pitch."
Spurs' 1-0 win over Inter means Pochettino's side are still alive in Europe, although to qualify for the knockout stages they must better the Serie A team's result against PSV in the final group-stage game when they travel to Barcelona.
Lloris praised the team after last night's vital victory but insists that Tottenham will now focus on their next fixture, a north London derby against Arsenal, which is live on Sky Sports Premier League on Sunday.
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"We played in a clever way [against Inter]," he added. "We were very intelligent on the pitch. We were patient, that was the key.
"Especially against an Italian team, they were very well organised, they play good football and deserve a lot of credit.
"Now, there is still one game to play [in Europe], it is going to be tough. We were fighting against Inter from the beginning because Barcelona are the favourite.
"We now need to focus on the league. It's going to be a big game against Arsenal."
