 |
| Source=Tottenham Hotspur homepage |
|
"Son Heung-min is such an important player for our team."
Tottenham manager Angie Postecoglou expressed unwavering affection and trust for Son Heung-min ahead of the Wolverhampton away game.
Son Heung-min's Tottenham will go to Wolverhampton in the 32nd round of the English Premier League (EPL) at 10 p.m. on the 13th (Korea time). Tottenham remains 14th in the league with 11 wins, 4 draws and 16 losses in 31 games this season and 37 points. On the 6th, he won 3-1 against Southampton in the `lowest team' and broke his winless streak in four consecutive English Premier League (EPL) matches, but drew 1-1 against Frankfurt in the first leg of the Europa League quarterfinals during the following week. Amid rising fans' expectations for the Europa League, the only trophy hope, media criticism of Captain Son Heung-min, who was somewhat sluggish on the day, was raised.
In addition, related questions were also raised at the official press conference against Wolverhampton. Asked about some criticism of Son's performance and the importance of Son, Postecoglou expressed unwavering trust. "He's having a big impact on us on and off the field. I'm always working hard for the team. Last night (in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-finals against Frankfurt) he also played his part in creating many opportunities", he commented. "Our team's front-line three-top is really well trained. Son Heung-min emphasized, "He is a very important player for our club and what we are doing."
Asked if Son will be a leader on the field when his performance is not good, or will he become more dependent on Christian Romero or Rodrigo Bentancur, Postecoglou said, "Both could be true."Son Heung-min is the leader of the team on and off the field, but he also plays a role in helping other players grow in the process. I've seen that again this year." It means that he is committed to leading the growth of relatively young players and newly transferred teammates as well as his performance as a captain and key striker. "Yesterday, Rodrigo (Bentancourt) managed the whole game well, and Couti (Romero) always shows great presence in our team," Postecoglou said. At the beginning of this year, Dekki (Kulusevski) did a good job, and over the past few weeks, (James) Mathers' performance has begun. "Underneath that, there is still a group of young players who are new to all of this, so the burden of leadership needs to be dispersed." He then emphasized Son Heung-min's dedication and responsibility of the leader group, saying, `It is the leader's responsibility to lead them well.'
Son has seven goals in 28 league games this season. He became the first Asian player to score in the Premier League with 23 goals in the 2021-2022 season, and is a legend among the legends who have scored double-digit points for eight consecutive seasons from 34 games to 17 goals in 34 games last season. Despite his poor scoring this season, Son Heung-min's influence in the team is absolute. Son Heung-min's goals have decreased, but Tottenham scorers have diversified to Brennan Johnson (11 goals), James Medicine (9 goals), Dejan Klusevski and Dominic Solanke (7 goals) this season, and Captain Son Heung-min served as a dedicated chance maker by playing the role of 'the starting point of the goal'. However, fans still miss Son Heung-min's powerful dribble, thrilling shot and ice-like finish followed by the click ceremony. Son Heung-min last scored a goal in a home game against Bournemouth (2-2 draw) on the 9th of last month. He is eager to write the history of double-digit goals for nine consecutive seasons in the remaining seven league games this season.
Meanwhile, at the press conference, Postecoglou strongly raised suspicions that the team's key information was being leaked outside by insiders. Postecoglou said even ahead of the Europa League home game against Frankfurt "There is no doubt that there is a leak of information inside the club."Someone keeps leaking information, and it's been like that all year." In this regard, he said in a pre-press conference against Wolverhampton, `I don't know why it makes our job more difficult. I take medical information really, really carefully and I'm taking a tight range of people who share this information, so I have some idea where it was leaked. We will deal with it internally..." he said, expressing his willingness to resolve the issue.
It also suggested the operation of some rotations against Wolverhampton. "I was physically hit hard last night against Frankfurt. The game against Wolverhampton is an important game and needs a big performance, so it will help to use fresh players. It's OK to make some changes." As for Wolverhampton Power "It's a good team and has been stable in recent weeks. It was a bit unsettling when Vitor Pereira was first in charge, but it's a really talented team. It will be a good challenge for us." Reporter Jeon Young-ji sky4us@sportschosun.com
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
