Les Ferdinand insists Son Heung-Min has ensured Tottenham do not miss Harry Kane
After a little bit of a wobble earlier over the last few weeks, Tottenham Hotspur ended a three-match losing run with an impressive 3-3 draw with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium.
Any fears that Ange Postecoglou’s side would struggle for goals having sold Harry Kane to Bayern Munich this summer have been brushed to one side after Spurs managed to find the net on three occasions against the reigning Premier League champions.
The man who broke the deadlock at the Etihad was Son Heung-Min and while he also scored in his own net, the South Korean has stepped up in Kane’s absence and Les Ferdinand believes he had ensured Tottenham supporters don’t miss their former star.
Speaking on talkSPORT (5 December, 9:14) he said: “They don’t need to [talk about Kane] because Son has stepped in there and we always knew that Son was a good player and he seemed like a good foil for Harry but now he’s had to step up to the plate and I think he’s got nine goals already.
“Harry doesn’t look like he’s being missed and the way that Tottenham are playing and where they’re sitting in the league at the minute, they don’t have to talk about him too much.”
Son’s performance against Pep Guardiola’s side was a genuine world-class striker’s display. The 31-year-old found the net with his only attempt at goal in the match, which carried an xG of only 0.13, the sort of striker supporters would have expected from Kane [Fotmob].
That has perhaps been the most impressive aspect of the South Korean’s season so far, as his nine goals have come from an xG of only 4.87. He is averaging an xG of 0.38 a game, placing him in the 48th percentile of Premier League forwards [Fbref].
Despite that relatively low figure, Son sits in the 84th percentile of his positional peers in the division for non-penalty goals per game, averaging 0.7 a game from only 2.65 shots a match.
That non-penalty goal rate is actually higher than Kane managed in his final season in North London, where the Englishman took more shots on average per match than Son (3.28), but didn’t score in open play as often (0.66).
Creatively, the Korean has stepped up in Kane’s absence, currently, he sits in the top five per cent of forwards for shot-creating actions and progressive passes completed per 90 minutes. Against Man City, Son managed to create two chances including an assist from only 17 passes in the game.
Arguably, the forward should have registered more than the two assists he’s managed this term. He places in the 95th percentile of Premier League forwards for expected assisted goals but sits in the 55th percentile for actual assists.
While Kane was never a defensive force, Son has managed to remain a defensive force while trying to replace the Englishman in attack. At the Etihad, the Tottenham captain won all four of his duels in the match both in the air and on the ground.
There will be Spurs fans imagining just how good this side would be with Kane in it, but it is hard to disagree with Ferdinand’s assessment that the South Korean is more than stepping up in the England captain’s absence.
In other Tottenham news, Jermaine Jenas was blown away by Brennan Johnson’s “perfect” performance against Manchester City