View: Heung-min Son has curious season of struggle at Tottenham
Tottenham had a season to forget as they finished eighth in the Premier League, and one of their main men, Son Heung-Min, also failed to live up to expectations.
After scoring 23 goals and winning the golden boot in 2021/22, very few fans would have predicted a season of struggle for the South-Korean star during the 2022/23 campaign, but that is exactly what Son Heung-Min experienced.
His league goal tally decreased by more than half, with his 10 goals and six assists in the league, as well as his overall performances, not up to his usual high standards.
Tottenham News has been diving deeper into the stats behind Son’s difficult season.
According to stats provided by FBREF, Son was scoring at a rate of 0.69 non-penalty goals per 90 in 21/22, compared to a rate of just 0.31 in 22/23.
The most concerning part of this statistic is that his total shots per 90 only decreased by 0.05, from 2.57 to 2.52, which suggests that he was still taking a similar number of shots, however, the quality of shots had decreased.
Son attempted lass passes this season compared to the previous one, (28.33 compared to 36.50) and registered less successful take-ons (1.03 compared to 1.53).
It is also clear according to the stats that Son was struggling to impact the game higher up the pitch as much as he was in the previous season.
In the season just gone, he registered 2.56 progressive carries per 90, compared to the season before in which he was making 3.47.
As well as this, the winger was only having 3.30 touches per 90 in the opposition penalty area, compared to 4.37 the season before.
A lack of confidence
These revealing stats suggest that Son was suffering from a severe lack of confidence.
His inability to impact the game high up the pitch and get as involved in and around the penalty area explains his clear drop-off in goalscoring this season.
At times, the arrival of Ivan Perisic may have also hindered the forward. The Croatian was an attacking wing-back who would often take up positions Son would usually find himself in, forcing the South Korean to move infield where he was less effective.
As well as this, the pragmatic style of football and perhaps an element of fatigue may also have been factors in Son’s drop-off in form.
However, having been such an important player for Tottenham for so many seasons, as well as providing some crucial moments for the club, many fans will back Son to rediscover his form next season.
Tottenham’s time out of Europe will lead to a less demanding schedule and the appointment of a forward-thinking manager may just inspire Son to hit the heights man fans know he can again.
In other Tottenham news, two young Tottenham stars have shone on the international stage.