Tottenham Hotspur are gearing up to get their Premier League season under way on Monday night, with a trip to Leicester City on the cards.
Spurs have enjoyed a decent pre-season overall, and Ange Postecoglou has a virtually clean bill of health ahead of the trip to the King Power Stadium.
However, one Tottenham player will be missing from the squad, due to disciplinary reasons.
At Thursday’s pre-match press conference, Postecoglou told football.london that Yves Bissouma won’t be considered for the upcoming fixture.
Tottenham have suspended the 27-year-old in wake of a video he posted on social media in which he appears to be inhaling from a balloon.
Bissouma has said sorry for the incident, with BBC Sport quoting him as saying: “I want to apologise for these videos. This was a severe lack of judgment.
“I understand how serious this is and the health risks involved, and I also take my responsibility as a footballer and role model very seriously.”
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Ange Postecoglou says Yves Bissouma must ‘make better choices moving forward’
Postecoglou, speaking at his pre-Leicester presser, revealed that Bissouma has been suspended, and also explained what the player needs to do to regain his trust.
“He won’t be available for Monday,” said the Tottenham boss. “We have suspended him for Monday’s game.
“Beyond that there is also some trust building that needs to happen between Biss and me and Biss and the group.
“That’s what he needs to work hard at from now on to try and win that back and that has nothing to do with just one game. He may be suspended for one game but he is going to have to earn that.
“The door is open for him and hopefully we can help him to realise the decisions he makes impacts more than just him and hopefully allows him to make better decisions going forward.”
When asked how Bissouma can earn back Postecoglou’s trust, the manager replied: “Behaviour, mate. It is quite simple. It is him making better choices moving forward and behaviour.
“He is obviously disappointed and was very apologetic, not just to me but to the club and everyone involved.
“That is just the first part of the process. The next part is behaviour now. Making sure, like I said, he does the things he needs to do, like all of us.
“We all make mistakes and it is how you fight your way back from those mistakes and what you do is far more important than what you say.”
Who could replace Bissouma in Tottenham starting XI?
Bissouma would’ve likely been in the starting XI for Spurs against Leicester, but with him unavailable, it’s likely that Rodrigo Bentancur will take his place.
Admittedly, new Spurs signing Archie Gray has impressed in pre-season and would also be a good shout to start.
However, Postecoglou is likely to go with the more experienced Bentancur from the off, and perhaps give Gray his competitive Spurs debut off the bench.
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