Tottenham: Ange Postecoglou will be worried by what happened to Son Heung-min with South Korea
Son Heung-min might have got himself on the scoresheet for South Korea against Thailand, but his overall performance will have left Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou very concerned.
It will have felt like an incredibly long week and a half for Postecoglou.
After Spurs were thrashed 3-0 by Fulham at Craven Cottage (16 March), the Australian would have been desperate to get his players back on the training pitch to put things right.
However, the March international break has prevented the 58-year-old from doing that, and he has been forced to wait until Saturday (30 March) when Spurs host Luton Town to see what kind of reaction his players provide.
While Postecoglou will have had a quiet week, it has been a busy one for his players who have been representing their nations around the globe.
One of those players is Tottenham captain Son Heung-min, who has been featuring for South Korea in their 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Son struggled in South Korea’s first match against Thailand on Thursday (21 March) as the match finished 1-1, and he disappointed once again in the reverse fixture on Tuesday (26 March) despite scoring a brilliant goal in his nation’s 3-0 victory.
Son Heung-min looks set to return to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium a tired player
Despite scoring in both games, Son’s overall performance was not at his usual standard on either occasion.
On what was his 125th appearance for his country, Son found the back of the net nine minutes into the second half to score his 46th South Korea goal.
He fired in between the Thailand goalkeeper’s leg to double South Korea’s lead, but despite that moment of brilliance, there was still plenty for Postecoglou to be concerned about.
As per Sofascore, other than his goal and one key pass, Son offered very little.
He completed just three of his seven attempted dribbles, and most concerningly completed zero per cent of his crosses into the box and failed to find his target with both of his two attempted long balls forward.
Son managed to complete just 77 per cent of his passes and also gave the ball away 17 times, while his defensive efforts left a lot to be desired.
The 31-year-old won just five of his 11 ground duels, failed to contest a single aerial duel and was dribbled past once.
While he is still finding the back of the net for now, Son is demonstarting signs of a player suffering from fatigue, which could catch up with the forward over the next couple of months.
Son has played 2,082 minutes in the Premier League for Tottenham this season (Premier League Official Website), the fourth most of any player at the club.
And for the majority of those Premier League minutes he has missed, that was as a result of him competing with South Korea at the AFC Asian Cup in January and February.
He has been offered very little rest over the past six months, and Postecoglou will need to ensure that he manages Son’s minutes so that his star player doesn’t burn out in the race for a UEFA Champions League spot.
In other Tottenham news, Spurs could already have their next James Maddison lined up after an update via Fabrizio Romano.
For more Tottenham news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.