Jamie O’Hara believes that it is time for everyone associated with Spurs to come to grips with the reality of what they are currently seeing from Heung-min Son.
Heung-min Son’s steep decline at Spurs
Son has inarguably been one of the best players across the Premier League over the last decade and has often been the crisis man for Tottenham, regularly bailing them out of trouble with important goals.
The 32-year-old is not only the captain but also the player that the fans and his own teammates look towards to produce moments of brilliance, but those have been few and far between this season.
Ange Postecoglou even left the forward out of the starting eleven earlier this month – a signal that Son is no longer an undroppable everpresent within the squad.
Jamie O’Hara claims this is no longer the Son of old
O’Hara believes that the South Korean is evidently not as good as he used to be and that signs of his decline are now clear.
The pundit suggested that while the forward can still be a useful asset to the squad, he is no longer the main man that Ange Postecoglou‘s men can look towards to produce magic.
The pundit told Grosvenor Sport: “Heung-min Son has been an unbelievable servant for Spurs. He’s one of the best forwards we’ve ever had at this football club, but he hasn’t been good enough this season. He’s not world-class anymore – he used to be world-class when Harry Kane was there, but he isn’t now.
“He’s not good enough anymore – he’s 33, he’s lost a yard of pace, and he isn’t scoring goals. The belief he used to have when finding the back of the net is no longer there. That doesn’t mean to say Son doesn’t bring anything to the table, but Spurs have to look at replacing him.
“He’s been a brilliant player for Tottenham and he can still be a good asset for them, but he’s not the Son of old. Spurs need to forget the idea that he will be the player that gets them out of trouble because he’s not that player anymore and he’s on his way down in his career.”
Heung-min Son not helped by Spurs struggles
There is no question that Son is woefully out of form and one can see that he no longer has the conviction in front of goal that defined him as a player.
However, the Tottenham captain has certainly not been helped by the fact that the team on the whole is struggling, which puts even more pressure on him to make the difference.
While one can argue that Son has lost some pace and sharpness, he simply cannot have lost his elite ball-striking ability overnight.
The experienced forward just needs to string a few good performances together and get a couple of goals to get his confidence back.