Son Heung-min must improve as new update emerges in Tottenham Champions League push
The international break couldn’t have come at a much better time for Tottenham as they prepare to kick on in their race for the Champions League next season.
Ange Postecoglou’s side headed into the March break off the back of a disappointing defeat at the hands of Fulham, but Spurs have flexed their attacking muscles in recent weeks to show they are more than capable of finishing in the top four.
So much of Postecoglou’s attacking style is based around Son Heung-min at the heart of Tottenham’s frontline, however, a new update surrounding the South Korean international may show that Spurs have to adapt their style.
According to WhoScored via X (26 March) no player has overperformed their xG more this season than the Spurs winger who has scored 5.27 more goals than he statically should have in the Premier League this term.
Against Aston Villa, the 31-year-old scored his goal from one of only two shots as he converted his 14th Premier League goal of the season with an xG of only 0.24, according to Fotmob.
When compared to other forwards in the Premier League, Son places in the 35th percentile for non-penalty xG per 90 minutes this season, with an average of 0.32 xG per game this term, according to Fbref.
The South Korean international has only taken 2.6 shots a game so far this season, a figure which places him in the bottom 46 per cent of strikers in England’s top flight. Despite Spurs’ attacking talent, they don’t find Son often enough.
While it can be viewed as a positive that the Spurs captain sits in the 84th percentile for goals scored per game this season, with a record better than a goal every other game so far this season, but it remains to be seen whether this form is sustainable.
Will Tottenham be able to keep Son Heung-min in the summer transfer window?
Tottenham’s defeat to Fulham showed just how detrimental this lack of xG from Son could be to Spurs’ top-four charge this season, as Postecoglou’s captain failed to hit the target with any of his two shots at Craven Cottage.
While he was still a creative force, completing 91 per cent of his 32 attempted passes, also creating Spurs’ best chance of the match he lacked that cutting edge in the final third which every top striker in the Premier League needs.
Postecoglou has a number of players in his squad who can’t be trusted to find the net when chances fall their way, whether that be Timo Werner or Brennan Johnson. Spurs need to find a way to get Son to take these chances rather than the players around him.
If they can get the 31-year-old to increase his xG while also maintaining that clinical edge, Postecoglou will have a centre forward more than capable of being one of the best strikers in the Premier League.
In other Tottenham news, Spurs are expected to think twice about any move for Pedro Neto after a “huge issue” emerged
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