Tottenham captain Son Heung-min shows signs of life as he gets back to scoring ways for South Korea
Tottenham captain Son Heung-min proved that his opening display at the 2024 AFC Asian Cup was just a one-off as he put in a much-improved showing during his second match at the tournament.
Spurs’ top goalscorer is currently away from North London competing in Qatar with South Korea.
Son and his nation currently sit second in Group E following a 3-1 win over Bahrain (15 January) and a 2-2 draw with Jordan (20 January), leaving them in a very strong position to qualify for the competition’s knockout phase.
While this means the 31-year-old will miss more matches for Tottenham, Ange Postecoglou would have been relieved to see that his talisman was back to his best in the draw with Jordan.
It was a shaky start to the showpiece international tournament for South Korea’s captain.
As per Sofascore, Son wasn’t able to get himself on the scoresheet against Bahrain, missing the one big chance that fell to him and failing to convert any of his three overall shots, with one of those shots missing the target completely.
He was successful with just two of the five dribbles he attempted, only managed to play one key pass, and completed just 79 per cent of his overall passes while also giving the ball away on 15 separate occasions.
Son also struggled defensively, winning just five of his ten ground duels, losing his one aerial duel and managing to make just one tackle.
It was an uncharacteristic performance from the forward, especially considering the season he is having under Postecoglou in the Premier League.
Son has 12 goals in 20 appearances in England’s top flight this season, while he has also provided five assists for his teammates.
As per fbref, he has been the heartbeat of the team in advanced positions on the pitch, ranking in the top one per cent of his positional peers in the Premier League this season for the number of carries he has made into the penalty area (1.81 per 90) and the top four per cent for the number of progressive passes he has played (4.48 per 90) and received (9.80 per 90).
His contributions are irreplaceable and Postecoglou would have therefore been concerned when his captain showed signs of fatigue against Bahrain. However, Son’s return to form against Jordan proved the Australian does not need to worry.
The striker got back to scoring ways, winning and converting a penalty after just nine minutes. He was much more productive with the ball, as he completed 93 per cent of his overall passes, with three of those being key, compared to the 79 per cent he completed against Bahrain when just one of his passes proved key.
He provided one accurate cross into the box, and while he still struggled with his dribbles, with just one of his five successful, he looked much improved defensively as he won 100 per cent of his aerial duels.
It wasn’t his finest performance, but certainly a confident enough display to prove that the match against Bahrain was just a one-off and the marksman will now look to keep improving as he aims to help his nation go all the way.
In other Tottenham news, one Spurs expert has shared his verdict on Postecoglou after a “diabolical” event in January.
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