It is not every day – or season – that a team is preparing for a large European final. In fact there are only three and it is a long way to reach them. But for Tottenham Hotspur and Yves Bissouma that is exactly where they are.
Spurs will be confronted with Manchester United in the Europa League final on 21 May, with both looking for a season that has been disappointing in their own country.
But somehow they have found a way to perform in the continental competition. Tottenham Hotspur finished fourth in the competition phase – a point behind Manchester United in third place – and drove to a 5-2 victory against Bodo/shines in the semi -final.
And Bissouma wants to surpass what he describes as a night he will never forget.
“It was the best evening of my life because I qualified for the final of the Europa League,” said the midfielder, who only spoke to Sky Sports, about the second stage in Norway.
“Nothing can change it in my life and I will never forget this. And I know I can have a night that can be better than this, so I try to work hard to be ready for that.
“It is not every time you have the chance to play a European final and it is not something that comes every season, so a special moment like this, you feel it as a dream. I don't want to wake up.
“I realize that it is not a dream, we have worked hard to be where we are now. The club deserves it, the fans and we also earn it because we work very hard every day to be where we are now.
“We have to do the right things to bring that trophy home.”
After the second stage, Bissouma predicted that Daniel Levy would sing home with the players on the plane. “I was excited and happy!” He said laughing, without revealing whether the spurs chairman took the microphone.
How Bissouma form is reversed
The Mali International was a large part of the semi -final success of Tottenham. Over the two legs, he ranked joint-top for shots and possessions won in the defensive third. He was also in the top four for tackles, interceptions and possessions won in the third midfield.
But Bissouma quickly got up how those in the club helped him to do this and say: “It's not just me, it's a team.
“We work so hard – the coaches, all employees, the players. We are a Spurs family. This season was really difficult for us and it's not the time for us to give up. We all stay together.
“Maybe you saw me play, but the coaches, the information they gave me, for me to do it on the field, the way we train, all these things help me to play as I played.
“It is a team win and I am really happy with that, because now we have what we wanted. Now it is still a game, so let's be ready and go.”
It marks a turning point for Bissouma, where his performances have not always reflected the talent that he has this season – demonstrably a reflection of the Tottenham Hotspur campaign in general.
After he had lost Fulham late in March, Spurs -Baas Ange Postecoglou said that the midfielder “can sometimes make the game float by him” and wanted Bissouma to be more dominant on the ball.
But before he stood opposite Crystal Palace, Postecoglou spoke about his pride of his player after his Europa League versions, and said that the couple had recently spoken when the head coach Bissouma said he would be needed to help the team at a crucial moment.
“I am here for my team. Even if I play or not, I always have to be ready. That is the way I grew up – that is my mentality. I will never give up,” he thought.
“The more it is difficult, the more I work. I thought:” My time will come. I have to be ready if my team needs me, if the coach needs me, “so it was in my mind.
“I was ready before we talked, so that's not new to me. To come back and play for the important game of the season, it shows how he [Postecoglou] Trust me and he knows I can do the work.
“It is always a pleasure to work with Ange. I have a good relationship with him. He is one of the managers who really understands players and tries to do his best for his team. He makes all his energy for success.
“I take it [any criticism] A good way, because when I was good, he told me that I was good. And if I am not, if he says so, I will take it in a good way.
“He said that for me to improve, to show him the best [player] He knows, it makes me work hard to be at my best.
“You prepare yourself during the preseason to have a very good season, but sometimes things happen and you have to deal with it. It is important to stay strong, especially mental, because it is not easy.
“And I understand that when some fans are not happy with me. It is because they know that I am a really good player, they know how to help the team and they are frustrated because I don't do what I can do. I understand and I take it in a good way.
“That is why all these things make me harder to get at my best, try to help my team and bring it to the level that this club must be.”
It goes without saying that Bissouma has to use all its recent form to help Tottenham Hotspur lift their first trophy since 2008 next week, and end their Premier League season in a positive tone.