Tottenham’s captain is prospering in his new position as a central striker beneath supervisor Ange Postecoglou. Already a cult hero, he can attain an much more exalted standing after Harry Kane’s departure to Bayern Munich — that of talisman
Attempting to fill a Harry Kane-sized gap in any squad is a headache for a supervisor.
Considering how central the 30-year-old was to Tottenham Hotspur’s soccer and id, new supervisor Ange Postecoglou was confronted by an much more demanding process. Kane had grown right into a talismanic determine at Spurs, which had change into more and more depending on the England captain. Last season, he scored 43% of the facet’s Premier League targets and contributed to a big proportion of the rest in his position as one of many world’s finest playmaking No. 9s.
Kane’s departure to Bayern Munich in the summertime — in pursuit of the primary silverware of his profession — meant that Tottenham, for the primary time since 2014, was unable to name upon its standard-bearer for a north London league derby towards rival Arsenal final month. Kane, the membership’s all-time top-scorer, additionally has essentially the most targets within the derby’s historical past: a powerful 14.
Stepping up in model
But Son Heung-min stepped into the breach, producing two silky finishes, one in every half, which ensured that the 194th version of the London rivalry ended with honours even. Son has a fame for being a deadly finisher who delivers within the clutch — within the absence of Kane, with whom he had fashioned a lethal strike partnership, the South Korean ahead enhanced his standing with a efficiency that proved Postecoglou was proper to belief him.
Son, whom Postecoglou named Spurs captain on the day Kane joined Bayern, performed as a centre-forward towards Arsenal. While he didn’t replicate his former teammate’s all-around model, he did all the things his supervisor requested of him to a excessive commonplace, main the press, pinning the centre-backs, and making runs behind the final line of defence to devastating impact.
Son discovered the again of the online once more final weekend, within the controversial 2-1 win over Liverpool, taking his tally to 6 Premier League targets this season, second solely to Erling Haaland’s eight.
Postecoglou had stated Son may play because the central striker in his system, however had began his new captain on the wing within the season’s first three video games. It was towards Burnley that Son first discovered himself within the No. 9 position. He scored a hat-trick in a 5-2 win and has not regarded again since.
“He’s been outstanding as a leader and as a player. I’ve put him in that nine position now and he just works so hard,” Postecoglou stated. “His first thought is what’s best for the team. And he puts himself into that position and then he has the quality to finish.”
Against Burnley, Son led Tottenham’s excessive press — very important for a facet that desires possession of the ball — with nice depth. At 31, he recorded essentially the most sprints (27), the third-most intensive runs (288), and essentially the most pressures (49), with 11 of these pressures resulting in turnovers. More to the purpose, Son has proven he can repeat these efforts in his different begins at No. 9.
Doing it his manner
While Kane was a high-touch No. 9 — he appreciated the ball at his toes, with quite a lot of Spurs’ attacking strikes flowing by way of him — Son seems to have been instructed to carry out a low-touch position. His job in possession is to push the opposition’s final line again together with his positioning, dynamism and goal-threat, shopping for his midfielders area and time.
Once he realises he has a gap, both to satisfy a cross or a cutback from large or to run onto a through-ball from midfield, he explodes into motion with clever, incisive runs
Effectively, Postecoglou has changed Kane’s output by marrying Son’s elite motion with new signing James Maddison’s inventive passing. Maddison is clearly having fun with his still-developing partnership with the South Korean.
Strong bond: Son has rapidly constructed a detailed relationship with new supervisor Ange Postecoglou, who has entrusted the South Korean ahead with better accountability.
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“In the last weeks Sonny has gone more central and is playing as the nine. As a number eight or 10, you want to have a nice relationship with your striker, he’s the one you are looking for,” stated Maddison. “We get on really well, which helps on the pitch. In training when we are working on little through balls, we are still figuring each other out. But I’m starting to know what he likes.”
Postecoglou’s workforce sits second within the desk after going unbeaten within the Australian’s first seven Premier League video games in cost. His influence on the membership has been exceptional since his close-season arrival from Celtic. He has lifted the gloom left by his predecessor Antonio Conte’s troubled reign. Spurs has loved greater than its share of excellent fortune, however it’s taking part in eye-catching soccer, dubbed Angeball, and looking out an actual risk.
The gamers additionally seem to take pleasure in Postecoglou’s management, one thing Son is feeding off. “If you think about why you started playing football as a kid, you are just having fun with your ball,” stated the Spurs captain. “I think it’s very important, having fun. It helps you with your confidence and your self-belief. There’s a lot of pressure playing in a Premier League team. I try to be an example, try to smile and take responsibility on and off the pitch.”
Fuelled by disappointment
The begin to this season is markedly totally different from 2022-23, when Son struggled bodily. Having gained the Premier League Golden Boot for essentially the most targets in 2021-22 with 23 strikes, he scored solely 10 occasions final season as Spurs completed eighth.
Partners in mime: The mixture of Son’s elite motion and new signing James Maddison’s inventive passing is a match made in heaven.
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Son performed whereas coping with a hernia final season, delaying surgical procedure as a result of he felt he couldn’t let the workforce down. He additionally suffered a number of fractures round his left eye simply earlier than the mid-season World Cup. “I was in pain every single moment, literally,” he stated.
Son did take pleasure in a traditionally vital second final season, changing into the primary Asian participant to attain 100 occasions within the Premier League, however 2022-23 was a low level. It did, nevertheless, fill him with the willpower “to prove [in 2023-24] that I’m the Sonny that we all know”.
So he turned down a profitable supply from Saudi Arabia in the summertime and made a vow to “give back to the club where I belong”. Son has loved a exceptional profession with Tottenham, scoring 151 targets (and aiding 80) in all competitions since signing from Bayer Leverkusen for what now appears a discount £22 million in 2015. Already a cult hero at Spurs, he can attain an much more exalted standing — that of Tottenham talisman.
The method during which he has began 2023-24, powering the Angeball revolution, suggests he’s effectively on his manner in the direction of incomes that honour.