According to The Athletic, members of the Tottenham coaching staff have realised that they can no longer ask Son Heung-Min to play as a winger who tracks back a lot because he wants to play higher up alongside Harry Kane.
Son has enjoyed a superb season for Antonio Conte’s side, clinching the Premier League golden boot with 23 goals and adding a further nine assists in his 35 league appearances (TransferMarkt).
With Harry Kane struggling to find form in the early months of the season, Son stepped up and provided crucial goals for his team. The 29-year-old’s accomplished performances even helped Spurs clinch a return to Champions League football (UEFA).
However, The Athletic report that Antonio Conte’s coaching staff now believe that Son’s taste of topping the goalscoring charts will translate to less tracking back and a closer focus on maintaining a higher average position.
Son was famously berated by club captain Hugo Lloris in the Spurs changing room after he failed to adequately track back and block a shot and the incident was captured in Amazon’s All or Nothing docuseries (TalkSport).
Spurs Web Opinion
In a Conte side, there is little room for lazy players and Son will have his defensive duties to fulfil no matter how many goals he is banging in. Having said that, I have noticed him track back and work extremely hard in every game this season.
But, having Sonny as the highest man in our system just makes sense and he is one of our biggest weapons. If he is able to enter a foot race with a centre-back, there is usually only one outcome.
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