Tottenham finally found a replacement for Harry Kane. The answer was ‘Captain’ Son Heung-min.
Son Heung-min scored a hat trick in the fourth round of the 2023-2024 English Premier League (EPL) against Burnley, which ended at Turf Moor in Burnley, England, on the 3rd (Korean time). It was Son Heung-min’s league-leading goal this season and his first hat-trick in the league. Son Heung-min, who previously faithfully played the role of a helper, showed off his amazing decision-making power as soon as he transformed into a solver that day.안전놀이터
Tottenham won 5-2 thanks to Son Heung-min’s outstanding performance. Tottenham (3 wins, 1 draw) went undefeated in 4 games after opening. Tottenham’s new head coach, Anger Postecoglou, scored 10 points in the opening four games, following Harry Redknapp, Tim Sherwood, and Antonio Conte. The 5-2 win was their biggest away win since a 6-1 win over Manchester United in October 2020.
On this day, Coach Postekoglou brought out the 4-2-3-1 system. He used Son Heung-min, not Richarli Song, as the front-line lone striker. Manor Solomon, James Madison, and Dejan Kulusevski were in the second line, and Yves Bissouma and Pape Sar played defensive midfielders. The back four consisted of Destiny Udozy, Mickey van der Pen, Christian Romero, and Pedro Foro. The goal was guarded by Guglielmo Vicario. It was noticeable that Solomon took Son Heung-min’s place.
Tottenham was doing well, but there were concerns. It was the front line. This was an issue that had emerged before the season. Kane, who was in charge of Tottenham’s front line for the past 10 years, left for Bayern Munich. Kane was the symbol of Tottenham itself. Not only did Kane break Tottenham’s record for most goals, but he was also on the verge of breaking Alan Shearer’s EPL career scoring record. Kane was the best goalscorer in the EPL alone, scoring 213 goals. Although he was behind Erling Haaland last season, he showed off his consistent scoring ability and virtually led Tottenham’s attacking team, which was at its worst, by himself.
Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea, and Manchester United sent love calls to Kane, who had one year left on his contract, and the final winner was Bayern. Bayern got Kane after 4 tries. Bayern proposed a transfer fee as many as four times and agreed on 120 million euros. Tottenham had no intention of sending Kane at first, but Kane refused to renew his contract and had no choice but to send him away crying. Ultimately, at the end of the transfer window, Kane wore a Bayern uniform.
Tottenham made a new decision this winter by recruiting new players such as James Madison, Manor Solomon, Ashley Phillips, and Mickey van der Pen. However, there were no resources to replace Kane. To be precise, even if you spend hundreds of billions of dollars, you cannot recruit a player like Kane. Not only was there no such striker on the market, but Tottenham could not invest that much. In the end, Tottenham was unable to bring in a front-line striker in the transfer market. A striker to replace Kane had to be found internally. Coach Postekoglou’s choice was important.
Coach Postekoglou’s first choice was Richarlison. Richarlison left Everton for 60 million pounds last season and joined Tottenham. Tottenham fans were enthusiastic about the signing of the Brazilian national team striker. Richarlison also performed well as the starting striker for the Brazilian national team at the Qatar World Cup. He was expected to act as Kane’s partner or replacement. But he didn’t live up to expectations. Richarlison scored just one goal in the league last season. He appeared in 27 games but only scored one goal. Including the European Champions League, there were only three goals.
This season, Coach Postecoglou used Richarlison once again. But the situation was still the same. Richarlison played as a central striker in the top three in the previous three league games, but failed to score a single goal. He scored one goal in the League Cup, but still performed poorly in the most important league games. He lacked confidence even when he had a chance to shoot. Even though Tottenham changed the overall tone to attacking football, Richarlison’s scoring ability did not come back at all.
Against Burnley, change was needed. Director Postekoglou suddenly chose ‘nails’. Son Heung-min played as a left winger in all three previous games. Coach Postekoglou emphasizes the tactic of wingers spreading wide to the sides and wingbacks coming inside to play. It was a different direction from Son Heung-min’s style of play, which previously mainly came inside and aimed for the goal with either the left or right foot.
Son Heung-min performed somewhat poorly in the last match against Brentford, which was the opening match. Son Heung-min, who played on the left wing, looked isolated. He recorded only 1 effective shot, but was poor overall, touching the ball 46 times, making 1 successful dribble, and making 0 key passes. To make matters worse, he even gave up a penalty kick while defending. As it was his first game wearing the captain’s armband, he had high expectations, but it was clearly a disappointing game. In the 2022-2023 season, voices of concern continued because Son Heung-min was injured and underperforming. There has been talk here and there about whether the aging curve theory is true.
But it was different in the second round match against Manchester United. The solution was ‘helper mode’. He focused on creating opportunities for his teammates rather than scoring goals. On this day, Son Heung-min recorded four key passes and three successful dribbles, the most in the team. Although he only had one shot, he led the team to victory with perfect team play. He also attempted nine ground duels on defense, completing six of them. Statistics sites SofaScore and FootMob gave the team the second-highest rating of 7.9 and 8.1, respectively.
In the 30th minute of the first half, he made an amazing through ball to Pape Sar, and in the 40th minute, he moved from the left to the center and made a decisive pass to Pedro Foro. Foro’s shot hit the goalpost. When Richarlison, who played as a lone striker, was replaced in the second half, Son Heung-min, who moved to the front line, showed skillful movements to disperse the opponent’s defense by moving left and right rather than making unreasonable plays. It also served as the starting point in the 38th minute of the second half. He sent a concise pass to James Madison, where the ball led to Lisandro Martinez’s own goal.
Photo capture = Tottenham homepage
He also performed well in the third round against Bournemouth. Son Heung-min, who has become more tactical, failed to create a single attack point or a single effective shot on this day, but he led the attack with sharp movements and passes from start to finish. Compared to the game against Brentford, his body has definitely improved and his tactical movements have also improved. Son Heung-min made sharp passes from the left.
On this day, he also made 4 key passes, the most in the team. His personal possession rate was also the highest in the team at 4.3%. He is 100% fulfilling his role as a side playmaker. He attempted dribbling 3 times and succeeded 2 times. His pass success rate was 85%, with 33 completions in 39 attempts. He was also good at playing defense. He successfully completed a total of 4 ground duels, 1 clearance, and 1 interception. In Sofa Score, he recorded the team’s highest rating of 8 points along with Madison, who scored the first goal. Praise poured in from all over for Son Heung-min’s changed play.
In the Burnley match, where the pleasant memories of the Puskas Award remain, Son Heung-min, who played as a frontline striker, showed off his instincts as a problem solver. His start was faltering. Burnley scored the first goal just 4 minutes into the game. Lyle Foster scored the first goal from Luca Koleosho’s cross.
It was just a rehearsal for Son Heung-min. Son Heung-min defeated Burnley by scoring in succession in the 16th minute of the first half, the 18th minute of the second half, and the 21st minute of the second half. The first goal created an attack opportunity with a unique sprint. He calmly exchanged passes with Solomon and shook the opponent. Son Heung-min split the goal with a spectacular right-footed chip shot that ‘harassed’ the opposing goalkeeper and two defenders. In the 18th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min received Solomon’s pass and hit the net again. Three minutes later, he scored with a neat left-footed shot off Foro’s pass, completing his hat trick.
In fact, the joys and sorrows were mixed. Coach Postekoglou gave Son Heung-min, who completed his mission with a hat trick, a break by replacing him with Richarlison in the 27th minute of the second half. Coach Postecoglu expressed his faith in Son Heung-min by hugging him tightly.
Son Heung-min, who joined Tottenham in August 2015, scored his 106th EPL goal, surpassing Cristiano Ronaldo (Al Nasr) with 103 goals and Didier Drogba (retired) with 104 goals. He was tied for 30th place with Darren Bent from Tottenham. Ryan Giggs (109 goals), Peter Crouch (108 goals), and Paul Scholes (107 goals) are also visible.
The British press is also full of praise. England’s ‘Football London’ said Son Heung-min ‘played a central role very effectively. He gave the team a rating of 10 out of 10, saying, “Coach Postekoglou’s system worked perfectly in his game.” Statistics media outlets WhoScored.com and FootMob gave Son Heung-min a whopping rating of 9.6 points. This is the highest rating for both teams.
Son Heung-min was also selected as ‘Man of the Match’ on the EPL official website. He received overwhelming support of 58.4% in a fan vote on the EPL official website in which over 40,000 people participated, beating teammate James Maddison (27.1%) and being selected as ‘Man of the Match’.
Britain’s BBC also selected Son Heung-min as ‘Player of the Match’ with a rating of 8.71. ‘BBC’ said, ‘This is the angel ball’ when Son Heung-min achieved a hat trick. Tottenham are growing in confidence under Postekoglou. Son Heung-min, who was playing with a smile on his face, finished with confidence,’ he said.
Sky Sports commentator Peter Smith said: “Son Heung-min had not scored before today’s game, but this time he played from midfield and delivered the ball for a great finish. He was very cool and confident. Son Heung-min leads the attack from the front.” He highly praised it. EPL player Clinton Morrison also said in surprise, “It’s really great. It’s fantastic. Tottenham’s soccer is outstanding. Son Heung-min will never lose sight of what he is doing. This is the end of the game.” Former England women’s international Farah Williams said, “This is the difference between the EPL and the Championship. Burnley played very expansive football until last season. They are playing with two defenders left. Son Heung-min, who is of the highest class, finished brilliantly.” praised.
It was Coach Postekoglou’s best day since taking charge of Tottenham. He smiled brightly, saying, “Son Heung-min was fantastic. Even on the training pitch, he is always a fantastic leader. Son Heung-min led the pressure today. And he has the quality to seize the opportunity. I am really happy for him.”
He also commented on the team, “Today’s performance was very good. The players played our game calmly and cool-headedly, showing excellent performance, and we grew through this game.”
Son Heung-min shook off Richarlison’s concerns. Tottenham did not transfuse a striker in the summer transfer market, which has just ended. “Son Heung-min is one of the reasons,” said coach Postekoglu. “He has all the characteristics, whether in the center or on the wing. He can play in any system. He is ideal for the way we play.” He suggested that Son Heung-min will be used at the forefront in the future.
Son Heung-min also smiled. He smiled and said, “Away to Burnley is always difficult. We conceded the first goal, but we countered strongly. Although I am the captain, I have many great players around me. They help me a lot.”
He added, “My role is very easy. I always try to be an example and smile. I try to take responsibility both on and off the pitch. It is difficult to choose between the three goals. The most important thing is that we got three points. “It is,” he said.
After the game, Son Heung-min said on his SNS, ‘I am proud of the players’ amazing performance in a difficult stadium. He celebrated by posting a photo of himself showing three fingers outstretched in commemoration of his hat trick, along with the message, “We are welcoming the international break in a good mood.”
He expressed his joy on the club’s SNS, saying, “It was a difficult trip, but I could feel everyone’s support. I’m happy to get 3 points, and scoring a hat trick is also special.”
With Son Heung-min’s great performance, Tottenham erased their concerns about Kane. Son Heung-min played an active part in all areas of the front line that day and led the team’s attack. During the game, he actively put pressure on the opponent and showed exactly the play that Tottenham wanted. In addition, he even regained his unique finishing instinct. Son Heung-min is the ‘EPL top scorer’ whom everyone knows. He scores more goals than expected every season, and his decision-making ability is unrivaled.
Since Son Heung-min has mainly played as a winger since his days at Leverkusen, he was originally a number 9 type. He also made his debut as a striker in Hamburg. Ruud van Nistelrooy, who is like a symbol of his striker, has chosen Son Heung-min as his successor. He basically knows how a striker moves and how to play. This is also the reason why Tottenham successfully performed as a one-top or two-top player in Kane’s absence. Of course, he has weaknesses in post play and air superiority, but Son Heung-min is a striker who can exert influence in the box with a different style.
The presence of Son Heung-min, who plays various roles, such as a helper on the side and a solver in the center, made Coach Postekoglou smile brightly. This is because more diverse tactical operations have become possible. The national team is also cheering. The national team’s front line is suffering from injuries and poor performance. Cho Gyu-seong, Oh Hyun-gyu, and Hwang Ui-jo were named, but each of them has elements of anxiety for various reasons. From Director Klinsmann’s point of view, the fingernail card became possible.
Son Heung-min, who has taken on added responsibility by becoming the second EPL Asian captain following Park Ji-sung, is spreading his wings wide in coach Postekoglou’s attacking soccer. ‘BBC’ analyst Garth Crooks announced the team of the week for the 4th round of the 2023-2024 season English Premier League (EPL) through the ‘BBC’ website on the 4th (Korean time). Son Heung-min, who led the team to a 5-2 victory against Burnley by scoring a total of 3 goals, 1 in the first half and 2 in the second half, was named as the left attacker in the 3-4-3 formation. This is the first selection of the season.
Crooks said, “It’s one of Son Heung-min’s best performances I’ve seen,” and said wearing the captain’s armband after Harry Kane’s transfer seems to have a positive effect on Son Heung-min. The Son Heung-min now is the Son Heung-min we know.