Was it bringing FSP on

Correct me if I am wrong, but Sissoko belongs to the group of players that are branded the "hard men". Players like them i.e. Edgar Davids, Roy Keane, Patrick Viera and Dietmar Hamann are not particularly known for their pbutting and ball control. However they bring the competitive edge and the robustness to the team, and allow the creative and attacking players around them to venture forward without worrying about their defensive duties. Hamann has for years played this role to perfection. A few years ago, there were people questioning his value to the team, but if you compare the results with and without Hamann, the answer would be obvious.

For me, watching Sissoko is a little unnerving not because of him losing the ball, because I know whenever that happens, he'll track down his player and get the ball back more often than not; rather it's because of the 110% tackles that as Percy put it "a bit on the edge of the rule book". Especially when we play some tough teams and need all 11 players to stay on the pitch, with Sissoko already received a yellow card, and there he goes launching pbuttionately into another cruncher... after saying that though, I suppose we do need someone who'd not hesitate to put his foot in for a full blooded tackle. The impact of losing such players is clearly seen in the way the scums and Arsenal have been playing their football of late.