Rating Terrorism For No Goals? Son Heung-min's Selfless Play Against Nottingham Was The Icing On The Cake
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Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) may have faced rating terrorism and criticism, but his record proves that he did his part.
Tottenham won 2-0 against Nottingham Forest in the 17th round of the 2023-24 English Premier League at the City Ground in Nottingham, England, on Saturday morning (Aug. 16). It was their second straight win, following their previous victory against Newcastle United.
With the win, Tottenham remained in fifth place, level on points with Manchester City (33), who did not play. They remain four points behind first-place Liverpool (37 points) and remain in contention for the Big Four. Six points separate them from sixth-place Manchester United (27 points).
Son Heung-min returned to the left flank, the position he enjoyed against Newcastle. He played alongside Brennan Johnson and Dejan Kluczewski in a two-man frontline. We focused on breaking down Nottingham's flat three (three-back) defense of Willy Boly, Murillo, and Moussa Niakite. When the two wing-backs, Nico Williams and Harry Toffolo, dropped into defense, it became a flat-five defense, so Son's ability to break down the flanks was essential.
Enze Postecoglou deployed Son on the left flank against Newcastle as a way of balancing the attack. Against Newcastle right-back Kieran Trippier, whom he once played with at Tottenham, Heung-min twice broke through to set up goals for Destiny Udogie and Hicharlison.
Speaking ahead of the Nottingham game, Son said: "We must not get carried away with the victory. We shouldn't be a team that breaks down and gives up easily," he said, sending a strong message to the team. "He's already a world-class player," Postecoglou said, adding that he wanted him to take on the role of captain to help push the season forward.
Against Nottingham, Heung-min frequently gestured to his teammates and urged them to make bold moves. Heung-min knew that if they didn't beat Nottingham, who were in the bottom half of the table, it wouldn't matter how hard they tried to win the title, so he tried to run more and move more organically to create chances.
In the third minute of the first half, a penetrating pass from Kluczewski found Son Heung-min with a right-footed shot that was blocked by the keeper. In an attempt to stop Son from breaking through, Nottingham formed a three-man wall, sometimes battling and fouling before a bold breakthrough could occur.
In the 21st minute, he wasted no time in setting up Hicharlison with a quick pass. Heung-min's so-called "off-the-ball" movements were nimble and focused on creating chances, leaving the surprised defense scrambling to catch up.
Things didn't get any easier for Son. In the 28th minute, Johnson went off with a head injury and was replaced by central midfielder Oliver Skip. It was time for a bit more offense. It would be useless without an accurate goal. In stoppage time, Kluczewski's cross was headed home by Hischarlisson for his second goal in as many games. The goalkeeper's late positioning paid off, as did a high header from Hischarlisson.
The second half proved more difficult for Spurs. In the 13th minute, they conceded a goal to Elanga, but video assistant referee (VAR) confirmed that Elanga was slightly ahead and the goal was disallowed. Tottenham pushed for more goals and Son Heung-min had a shot saved in the 19th minute, but Kluczewski rattled the post in the 20th minute with a daring breakaway. Moments later, Son Heung-min took the pressure off Kluczewski with defensive pressure.
The two-goal lead was short-lived in the 24th minute when central midfielder Yves Bissouma struck Yates in the knee while contesting the ball. It was a dangerous foul and she was cautioned, but it was overturned by VAR. It was clear that the attack was weakening and Tottenham took off Hicharlison and brought on Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg to fill the midfield void.
Son Heung-min moved to the center to play out the remaining minutes. When he had the ball, he linked up with his teammates, but only on the counterattack. It was a result of being outnumbered. Son broke through four defenders in the 35th minute, but was stopped inside the penalty area. The pressure was on as Nottingham continued to push forward. He was sent to the bench in the 44th minute when things settled down.
Holding on for the win gave both Son and Spurs some breathing room. However, despite being outnumbered, several British media outlets criticized Son for his performance. Football London, a London-based soccer publication, gave Son a rating of 6. He was criticized for not touching the ball properly on the left flank.
The Evening Standard, a free, London-based newspaper, also gave him a 6. This was second only to Bissouma (5), whose sending off harmed the team. The additional explanation was that his shot was saved by the goalkeeper.
However, Son's self-sacrifice to focus on the team's victory is well documented. According to SPOPICK, a comprehensive match prediction and analysis application, using statistics provider Opta, Son frequently dropped below the halfway line to receive the ball after Bissouma's dismissal. 안전토토사이트
Compared to the Newcastle game, where he played in the same position, he was more likely to stay in the forward area, at least for the same amount of time. Even when Newcastle were 3-0 up until the 24th minute of the second half, they were still trying to get into the penalty area to try and attack, and in doing so they drew a penalty of their own.
Nottingham, on the other hand, found themselves pushed further back after Bissouma's dismissal in the 24th minute, with the ball not getting forward as easily. This meant that the movements and ball touches were made to protect the team from being outnumbered.The passing map also shows how much his teammates relied on him. Most of the passes from the front were either to or from Son Heung-min. While the passes didn't reach Johnson, who was far away, the rest of the team was pretty much in sync.
The passes between best friend Ben Davies and Son are particularly impressive. Out of a total of 25 passes, 18 came from Davis to Son. He also exchanged passes with left-back Udogi 12 times, with 10 coming from Udogi. This shows how much the team trusted Son at the back.
For center-back Hischarlisson, it was all about linking up with Bissouma and Kluczewski. Instead, we can see from the heatmap that Son was more flexible with his off-the-ball movement and tried to preserve the win. As the game drew to a close, he was often forced to drop back and exert himself.
With back-to-back wins under their belt, Spurs head to Everton (H) on Boxing Day, followed by Brighton (A) on the 29th and Bournemouth (H) on the 31st. No matter where Son plays, he'll be faced with the challenge of winning. Postecoglou will need to make the most of the selfless and decisive player's mindset and attitude.
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