How Tottenham Hotspur use Son Heung-min in the crucial North London derby could determine the club’s season.
Tottenham are facing a Son Heung-min dilemma ahead of the North London derby, with manager Anzhi Postecoglou having to make changes, according to English media outlet Football London.
Tottenham will host Arsenal in the 35th round of the 2023-2024 Premier League season at home at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, on Sept. 26 at 10 p.m.
It’s a crucial matchup for both teams. Spurs need to keep their ongoing battle for fourth place alive, while Arsenal can’t afford to lose ground in the race for the title with Liverpool and Manchester City.
Tottenham are currently in fifth place (18 wins, 6 draws, 8 losses – 60 points). They’re six points behind fourth-place Aston Villa (20 wins, 6 draws, 8 losses, 66 points), but it’s a close race on goal difference if Spurs win both of their back-to-back games, as they’ve played two fewer games.
Arsenal are currently the league leaders (24 W, 5 D, 5 L, 77 points). Second-place Liverpool (22 wins, 8 draws, 4 losses, 74 points) have lost two of their last three games, but with third-place Man City (22 wins, 7 draws, 3 losses, 73 points) four points behind them with two games in hand, the Gunners can’t afford to let their guard down.
If Arsenal want to win the Premier League title, they need to win all four of their remaining games and pray that City drop points. So, if Son Heung-min can take a point from Arsenal, he could dash the title hopes of their biggest rivals.
As well as stopping their rivals from challenging for the title, Spurs are also desperate for three points in this North London derby as they look to qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League.
With six games remaining, including the Arsenal game, Spurs currently sit in fifth place in the league with 60 points (W18 D6 L8). In fourth place is Aston Villa (66 points), who have played two more games, while Newcastle United (50 points), who have played the same number of games, are closing in on the sixth spot.
For Spurs, a loss in the North London derby could see them slip further away from the top four. They also suffered a 0-4 thrashing at Newcastle in Round 34, so a loss at Arsenal could send the team into a tailspin. This is not good news for Tottenham, who will have to face Chelsea and Liverpool immediately after the Arsenal game.
That’s why this North London derby will be so important for both Spurs and Arsenal. It will be interesting to see if Tottenham captain Son Heung-min, who is expected to start the game, can replicate his first-half performance to extend his North London derby scoring record and bring Arsenal fans to tears.
While the media discussed Destiny Udogie’s season-long injury, Pedro Foro’s availability, and the midfield 토토사이트 combination, one of the things that Postecoglou needs to change is the positioning of Son Heung-min.
“Son has endured a frustrating time up front over the last three games without scoring, and he didn’t even register a dribble forward or a shot on target against Newcastle,” the media outlet said. “If Spurs are to finish fourth and qualify for the UEFA Champions League at the end of the season, Postecoglou must find a way to get Son back to his best, and that means deciding whether to keep him in the center or move him back to the left.”
“After facing a low defensive block from the opposition in the last three games, Son Heung-min should have more fun up front this week thanks to Arsenal’s style of play,” the press said.
The media also added: “While the Frenchman has missed the last two games through injury, he could return this week, which should give Postecoglou something to think about. His selection could lead to a switch to Son’s left side, which could be the key to Son’s return to his best form.”
Son is currently fourth on the North London derby’s all-time goalscoring list.
Since joining Tottenham in 2015, Son has scored seven goals and provided five assists in 19 appearances against Arsenal, making him the fourth highest scorer in the North London derby.
The top scorer in the North London derby is Harry Kane (Bayern Munich), Son Heung-min’s best partner. Prior to his move to Munich, Kane scored 14 goals against Arsenal in a Tottenham shirt, earning him a reputation as the “Arsenal Killer”.
After Kane, the next most prolific goal scorer in the North London derby is Togolese striker Emmanuel Adebayor. Having played for both Arsenal and Tottenham, he is second on the list with 10 goals, scoring eight for Arsenal and two for Spurs.
Third on the North London derby scoring list is former Arsenal winger Roberto Pires with nine goals. Son Heung-min is fourth, just behind Pires. If Son scores a multi-goal game against Arsenal, as he did in the first half, he will join Pires in third place on the North London Derby scoring list.
“After scoring seven goals against Arsenal, we’ll see if Son Heung-min can reignite his scoring touch in such an important game this week,” the media said.