Player Watch Player Watch: Son Heung-min

[sausage]

People have argued for years that Son isn't a striker, but it's pretty clear that he's not really effective as a winger tbh. A striker in denial, maybe, but seems no coincidence to me that he first became effective filling in for Kane, exploded in that sort of role under Mourinho, and hasn't really been up to much under Conte since Kulusevski came in an redefined rather a more rigid wide wide setup (as opposed to Lucas and Son making a tighter/more flexible 3), and Kane dropping back less to allow him to move central.

Just lately he seems like the exact same version that was frustrating early on under Poch.

It might be a bad patch, but I fear he's not suited to how Conte is persistent we play

 

[Dannyspur]

To slip and slide around so much for 90 minutes is unforgivable

 

[Wheeler Dealer]

Everyone loves Sonny because he’s a top guy who plays with a smile on his face. He also scores great goals and can go on a run every now and then.

However, he’s incredibly streak and has 2-3 patches of poor form every season. He’s also so bloody frustrating in games like today when there is no space in behind.

He cannot hold the ball up for toffee, gets frustrated and loses the ball constantly. Kulu has really shone a light on this weakness due to his strength at shielding the ball and making it stick for us.

It’s hard to criticise him because he’s so likeable but he’s on a bad run and he’s been getting away with it.

This is exactly why he plays for us as opposed to Big European heavyweights .

 

[Wick3d]

He was crap today, but then, he has been crap for a while.

 

[DJS]

He needs to buck up big time.

And get some proper football boots that have decent grip.

 

[Dembele'Disciple]

Doesn't suit Contes system. If you fill wide areas with wingbacks that means youre asking him to have the ball in traffic when we dominate the ball, that is far from his greatest attribute. We really need someone who plays a 4-3-3 with a false 9.

 

[EQP]

Struggled again today. Surprised Conte didn't sub him out around the 70 minute marker and let Stevie have a go. I would be tempted to give Stevie a start vs West Ham but Son has a pretty solid record against the Hammers, scoring 3 goals and assisting 5 times ( the most amount of assists against any team ) in the PL.

 

[eViL]

Anyone know why he didnt play today?

 

[gibbospurs]

Been well below par for a while.

 

[Deleted member 29446]

Will say it again. Doesn't fit the system at all.

Poor again yesterday. That he's undroppable as said by Conte is a joke. Bergwijn needs a go.

 

[HildoSpur]

He looks shattered to me. We really would benefit from having someone of the required quality to rotate with him.

 

[Aphex]

Exactly why you need a deep squad and options. Liverpool would just bench him for a few weeks so he can sort himself out.

He's been woeful for ages.

 

[Trees]

I love Son. However I think we would get more out of Lucas / Bergwijn on Sunday atm

 

[Tucker]

I think some of the criticism he’s getting is over the top, and unwarranted. He’s still regularly tucking goals away and contributing to our attacks.

That being said I don’t think he’s at his best, I think he looks in need of a rest. I’m sure Conte sees this too, but it’s likely that he sees a tired Son as a more reliable contributor than Lucas or Bergwijn in that position.

 

[Deleted member 29446]

I think some of the criticism he’s getting is over the top, and unwarranted. He’s still regularly tucking goals away and contributing to our attacks.

That being said I don’t think he’s at his best, I think he looks in need of a rest. I’m sure Conte sees this too, but it’s likely that he sees a tired Son as a more reliable contributor than Lucas or Bergwijn in that position.

He really shouldn't be tired. He "just" came back from an 4-week injury.

 

[Tucker]

He really shouldn't be tired. He "just" came back from an 4-week injury.

I think that bout of Covid he had has probably affected him more than we’d like.

 

[EQP]

Will say it again. Doesn't fit the system at all.

Poor again yesterday. That he's undroppable as said by Conte is a joke. Bergwijn needs a go.

Please explain how 7 goals and 5 assists in 16 appearances for Conte in the league equates to " Doesn't fit the system at all" ? You're overthinking a rather simple issue, he's exhausted. Unfortunately , Conte does not trust Stevie or Lucas to start ahead of Son, which invariably means that he's had some poor performances and still gets the nod ahead of those players. You want to disappointed in someone, be disappointed in Conte for not trusting his other players to step in for Son.

 

[Deleted member 29446]

Please explain how 7 goals and 5 assists in 16 appearances for Conte in the league equates to " Doesn't fit the system at all" ? You're overthinking a rather simple issue, he's exhausted. Unfortunately , Conte does not trust Stevie or Lucas to start ahead of Son, which invariably means that he's had some poor performances and still gets the nod ahead of those players. You want to disappointed in someone, be disappointed in Conte for not trusting his other players to step in for Son.

It has been said before, but I think he fits 3-5-2 or 4-2-3-1 much better.

In 3-4-3 where he's asked to play an inside forward he doesn't look good to me and it's showing on current form.

We all see how bad he is with his back to the goal and receiving and picking out passes. Kulu is much better in that sense because he rarely picks the wrong pass and is an very intelligent player who can operate in tight spaces. Son isn't. He needs to run at people basically.

And i'm already disappointed in Conte for not giving StevieB a go.

 

[Bluto Blutarsky]

Feels like Son is mis-understood.

His skills align very favorably with a counter-attacking team. He has pace, knows how to get in behind, and can shoot with either foot.

That is why Conte likes him - and considers him undroppable.

Lucas is not as direct as Son, and Bergwijn is not as clinical.

 

[EQP]

It has been said before, but I think he fits 3-5-2 or 4-2-3-1 much better.

In 3-4-3 where he's asked to play an inside forward he doesn't look good to me and it's showing on current form.

We all see how bad he is with his back to the goal and receiving and picking out passes. Kulu is much better in that sense because he rarely picks the wrong pass and is an very intelligent player who can operate in tight spaces. Son isn't. He needs to run at people basically.

And i'm already disappointed in Conte for not giving StevieB a go.

Saying he doesn't fit a system at all when the numbers disprove that theory and saying that he might be more effective in another system are two entirely different statements.

The fact that he's had to adjust to a different formation and adapt his playstyle (and still be effective enough to provide 12 goal and assist contributions) should garner praise and at the very least more understanding from fans when he does have a bad game.