Spurs: Son was a passenger vs Brighton
Antonio Conte’s Tottenham Hotspur side returned to winning ways on Wednesday evening, with Spurs overcoming Brighton & Hove Albion 2-0 at the Amex – a result that saw Italian’s outfit close the gap on fourth-placed Arsenal – who lost 2-0 at home to Liverpool – to just three points.
However, despite the positives, there were still a number of Tottenham players who turned in disappointing displays over the course of the 90 minutes, with Matt Doherty, Sergio Reguilon and Heung-Min Son all having something of a game to forget against the Seagulls.
Although, it will undoubtedly be the performance of the latter of this trio which most concerned Conte, as the South Korea international was once again a passenger in the Spurs side.
Lost 100% duels
Despite having bagged two goals in his last five outings for Tottenham, in truth, Son has been off the boil for a number of weeks now – something that did not change over the course of his 80 minutes on the pitch against Brighton on Wednesday evening.
Indeed, the £140k-per-week forward was extremely ineffective in attack, failing to hit the target with a single shot, enjoying just 32 touches of the ball – the fewest of Spurs’ starting outfielders – completing a mere 22 passes and failing to find his intended target with either of his two attempted crosses.
The £72m-rated dynamo also offered his side little in a defensive capacity, losing all three of his duels, failing to make a single tackle or interception and ceding possession of the ball on six separate occasions.
These returns saw Son – who Danny Murphy claimed had “given up” after signing a new deal at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium – earn an extremely disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.8 – with only Doherty earning a lower score of Spurs’ starters on the night.
Meanwhile, the Evening Standard’s Dan Kilpatrick awarded the 29-year-old a four in his own player ratings, stating of the South Korea international: “Completely anonymous in another below-par display. Conte’s system does not appear to suit him but looks in need of a rest.”
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As such, while Son is undoubtedly an exceptionally talented footballer, it is undeniable that the attacker badly failed both Conte and his teammates on Wednesday night – with questions now surely being asked as to whether the 119-goal forward deserves to keep his starting spot against West Ham United this weekend.
AND in other news: Conte can unearth a new £38m “wonderkid” as THFC plot bid for dream Kessie alternative