This is why Yves Bissouma is suddenly a key man in Brighton's bid to avoid relegation

A major plus point to emerge from Brighton and Hove Albion's last three Premier League matches has been the form of central midfielder Yves Bissouma.
Yves Bissouma produced his best display of the season at Wolves, according to Albion head coach Graham PotterYves Bissouma produced his best display of the season at Wolves, according to Albion head coach Graham Potter
Yves Bissouma produced his best display of the season at Wolves, according to Albion head coach Graham Potter

Bissouma, 23, has struggled for game time this season and has mainly been used if established central midfielders Dale Stephens or Davy Propper are unavailable. He has featured just 13 times in the Premier, with many of those from the bench.

The Mali international, who arrived at Brighton in 2018 for £15m from Lile, has been a key figure in Albion's last three tough matches at Sheffield United, Crystal Palace and the 0-0 draw at Wolves.

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On Saturday, Bissouma was given the nod at Molineux Stadium despite Stephens' recovery from a recent groin problem.

He played alongside Propper in central midfield, with the creativity of Aaron Mooy, Solly March and Leandro Trossard operating just behind the main striker Neal Maupay.

Bissouma was up against Wolves' midfield tacticians of João Moutinho and Ruben Neves but carried out the role perfectly and was probably Albion's best player on the day.

He won possession 16 times (six more than anyone else), made as many tackles (five) as anyone else and his three shots was more than any other Albion player.

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He has a laid back style and rarely loses composure but is a competitive presence in midfield. On Saturday he covered, tackled and contested until the end but what also impressed was his willingness to pick out an attacking pass and the confidence to have a shot.

Previously, Bissouma seemed to be a player that Potter liked but didn't quite know how to fit him into the team.

Crucially, Potter now feels the tactical side of his game has improved - a significant reason why the head coach now trusts Bissouma in the crunch matches.

"He has had to be patient," said Potter. "But recently he has been training really well. His performance at Sheffield United was good and I was really pleased with him today.

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"It was his best performance, he won a lot of balls back and physically he is in a good place at the moment. He will get better the more he plays and he showed a discipline and quality. I'm really pleased for him.

"He makes good decisions and he has the power, athleticism and technical qualities to deal with the ball. It's then just the tactical understanding which I think he has developed."