Chadder View: Ange Postecoglou must be careful with Tottenham star Son Heung-min
Tottenham captain Son Heung-min is on his way back to Hotspur Way, which will be music to Ange Postecoglou and Spurs supporters’ ears.
Son has been one of Tottenham’s most influential players this season, and when I saw that South Korea had been beaten 2-0 in the Asian Cup semi-finals by Jordan on Tuesday 6 February, I must admit that I was a little relieved.
It feels horrible to feel that way because Son is my favourite Tottenham player of all time, and I would have loved to see him go and win the Asian Cup simply to add to his legacy.
However, the club comes first, and I cannot wait to see him back in action in North London after an entire month without him.
With some time between the defeat to Jordan and our clash with Brighton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday 10 February, there is every chance that Son could start against the Seagulls.
However, if I were Postecoglou, I would be very careful with how I handle this situation.
Tottenham must show patience
It has been a busy season for Son, who has featured in every Spurs match which he has been available for.
As a result, he is likely beginning to suffer from fatigue, and after seeing what happened last season when Son was tired, Postecoglou must make sure that he manages the forward’s minutes to avoid a similar dip in form from happening again.
For a while now it feels as if Son has been running on empty ever so slightly, and that won’t have changed much in January.
Since South Korea got their Asian Cup campaign underway on Monday 15 January, Son has played six times, while his Tottenham teammates have played just three times in this same amount of time.
If that didn’t leave him feeling tired enough, he now faces a trip back from Qatar and will understandably be emotionally devastated after being knocked out of an international tournament.
While it might be tempting to throw him straight back in at the deep end, Postecoglou might prefer to wait.
In truth, Spurs’ main issue across the past two league matches hasn’t been goalscoring, with Richarlison’s fine form inspiring us to five goals in our past two matches.
It is defensively where we have struggled, conceding four goals in those same two matches.
Our attackers have proved that goals will continue to flow without Son, and one more game without him might not be the end of the world.
Just having him on the bench would be a huge boost, and the lift he would give the stadium if he was to be introduced in the second half would be massive.
Son is going to be needed in the run-in, and Postecoglou must therefore make sure he is ready for the fight.
In other Tottenham news, the club are close to full strength with another leading Spurs ace in line to return against Brighton.
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