Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Mousa Dembele has lifted the lid on why 96 per cent of his passes are short passes, and explained his style fits in perfectly with what Mauricio Pochettino wants.
The Belgian has appeared in a total of 20 league games for the Londoners this season and has been praised for his consistency in the middle of the pitch, with his manager Pochettino even going so far as to put Dembele in the same category as Brazil legend Ronaldinho.
Giving his own take on his tendency to play short balls and how he adjusts himself to Pochettino's style of play, the 30-year-old said that he loves playing "in combination" with his team-mates and hardly ever looks to play in a forward pass.
In fact Dembele insists that he prefers side wise passes and prefers to feed his team-mates while performing his defensive duties as well, very much to the liking of his manager.
Asked by French TV channel SFR Sport about the fact 96 per cent of his passes are short passes, Dembele said: "For me personally I like to play short and in the combination.
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"I think you rarely see me playing long balls.
"I think it is my game.
"I like to play around players and short, forwards, sometimes if we can't then I play to the side, but I like this."
Dembele has also played in four of Tottenham's Champions League games, but is yet to add to the scoresheet so far this season.
