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Moussa Sissoko on 'All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur'

He shares his thoughts with us on being followed everywhere by a camera, his rapport with Jose Mourinho, the return of superstar Gareth Bale

Priyam Marik Published 02.11.20, 01:43 AM
All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur, an insider’s view of the Spurs, is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur, an insider’s view of the Spurs, is streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Sourced by The Telegraph

As part of a video chat for the Amazon Prime Video original sports series, All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur, Spurs’ midfield general, Moussa Sissoko, shared his thoughts with us on being followed everywhere by a camera, his rapport with Jose Mourinho, the return of superstar Gareth Bale, and much more.

Have you watched the entire series? What do you think of All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur?

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Yes, I’ve watched it, it’s very nice. I watched it with some of my friends and family. They were very happy to see it and to know how we live (as part of Tottenham Hotspur)...because it’s something private and it’s difficult to come inside (a football club). Every day I’m going to work and they know I’m training, but they can’t see what I really do. The moments we share with the teammates, the staff, with the other people working in the (club) building... it’s good for my family to see those moments and see how we (at the club) are living every day. I have had a lot of questions afterwards from everyone who’s watched it... about moments, about players. They are all very curious, and I’ve been trying to answer all those questions as best as I can!

Did the players at Tottenham feel uncomfortable when the idea for this documentary was first mooted, when all of you were told that every move was going to be followed and everything inside the dressing room would be filmed? How did the players take to all this?

In the beginning, it was strange. The training ground is a private area, and when you see someone following you everywhere and everything you are doing... you can see a camera is on you, it’s strange. We try to do things differently, but with time, it became normal and people began to accept it. It was a deal with the club, so in the end, everything was fine with it.

Do you think the constant filming made the players more motivated? How did they behave differently, did certain players, including yourself, stop doing certain things because you were aware you would be caught on camera?

I can’t answer for the other players, but speaking for myself... yes... some moments you act differently because you know (the camera) is recording, and if you want to say something privately to someone... about your personal life, your family, you can’t. So, you need to be careful sometimes, but most of the time, the people were free and acting as they normally would.

There’s a fantastic moment early on in All or Nothing when Jose Mourinho comes into the club (as Spurs’ new manager) and somebody informs him that Moussa Sissoko has great influence in the dressing room. He doesn’t know how to react to that and sees it as a problem. Did you pick up on that? What was your reaction?

(Laughs) Yes I saw it and a lot of people told me about that. I don’t know what Jose’s reaction was. But I think like everyone (else in the team). We are teammates, we are friends, so I’m trying to help everyone I can and say whatever I need to say. I’m an experienced player and I think I can see a lot of things... and if I can share those with the lads, I think it’s great for everyone.

We saw a different side to Jose Mourinho in this documentary, that when he is in your corner, he can be a powerful guy supporting you. Do you feel that with Mourinho, that he is always there, protecting you from criticism or any negativity that might come your way?

Yeah, I can. That’s what I and most of the people like (about Mourinho). He is our manager, and we are all in the same boat. We all want to go in the same direction. Sometimes, something can happen to a player or someone, but we all need to protect him because it would be for our benefit, for the benefit of the player. We need to stick together, and I think he (Mourinho) is doing it very well…(taking) the best way to protect the players.

How excited should we be for a Season 2 of All or Nothing at Tottenham featuring Gareth Bale (who joined Spurs in the latest transfer window)?

Very excited! We all know he is an amazing player...what he’s done for Real Madrid and even for Tottenham in the past has been amazing. We knew we had a good squad and to add a player like him can be a big benefit. So hopefully, he will bring to the team his quality, which we have already seen in training. We will make him comfortable and help him and he will help us as well to perform altogether.

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