“Son Heung-min, Tottenham’s worst captain” → Tottenham fans are angry in the interview after the North London derby defeat… Even mention of ‘absence of leadership’

It was a shameful result. The opposing team, Arsenal, were in a situation where many key players, including Martin Odegaard, Declan Rice, Mikel Merino, Ricardo Calafiori, and Oleksandar Zinchenko, were unable to play due to injuries sustained during the international match and accumulated cautions .

Coach Anger Postekoglou used a number of attacking guards, including Son Heung-min, Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson, James Maddison, and Dejan Kulusevski, to put pressure on them, but failed to bring results.

Arsenal fell with one blow. Tottenham, who continued to lead the game, were dragged down by conceding a header to Gabriel Magalhaengs on an Arsenal corner in the 19th minute of the second half -offensively, but they looked helpless.

Criticism to follow for giving up set pieces. Since last season, coach Postekoglou has been constantly criticized for exposing weaknesses in the set-piece defence, but he also conceded a goal from a corner kick in today’s game. Furthermore, against Arsenal, they conceded 4 goals in the last 2 games, 3 of which were set pieces.

Because of this, only Arsenal’s set pieces stood out more. After joining set-piece coach Nicolas Jober, Arsenal scored 42 goals from set-pieces from 2021 to this game, holding the record for the most set-piece goals in the five major European leagues (England, Spain , Italy, Germany, and France ).

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Heung-min’s son looks disappointed after losing. Photo = AP = Yonhap News

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Tottenham concede Gabriel Magalhais header. Photo = AP = Yonhap News

After the game, ‘Captain’ Son Heung-min raised his voice in criticism of the team’s poor performance. Son Heung-min said, “We dominated the game and had a good performance, but still conceded a goal from a set piece. It was the same last season. It is so disappointing. “The fans must have been very disappointed too,” he said “We pushed into the opposition’s final third, but the attackers should have responded by scoring.”

“Making the right decisions and getting results is a very difficult part,” he said “We need to improve 100%. It’s a difficult situation, but we have to get together again and get out. “We will bounce back,” he said.

Tottenham currently have 1 win, 1 draw, and 2 losses. As captain, Son Heung-min encouraged and criticized the players due to the unstable start at the beginning of the following season, and voiced the need to overcome the crisis together. But fans thought differently. Some fans criticized Son Heung-min’s comments, even calling him a ‘leader’.

The fans said on social media, “Shameful claim”, “Dominating the game does not win”, he is the worst captain we have ever had. “He has been off the mark as a leader for several months now”, “There is a lack of leadership on the pitch. Arguments should be left to people who have a voice, authority, and can motivate people. Mab Heung-min responded by saying, “He’s not a captain.”

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Heung-min’s son. Photo = REUTERS = Yonhap News

Tottenham need to settle down quickly. Last season, they unfortunately finished in 5th place and missed out on a ticket to the UEFA Champions League. In order to win a ticket to the Champions League this season, it is necessary to create a rebound and sustain it.

Tottenham hope to break their losing streak and aim for a win in three games in the third round of the 2024-25 Football League Cup (Carabao Cup) against Coventry City, which will be held at the Coventry Building Society Arena in Coventry, England on the 19th .

[김영훈 MK스포츠 기자]