“Captain” Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham) covered his face in extreme pain. His team Tottenham suffered an unexpected injury in the worst situation where it was in a no-win slump. There was even a possibility that he could miss the next game.
Tottenham suffered a come-from-behind 1-2 defeat against West Ham in the 15th round of the 2023-2024 English Premier League (EPL) held at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, the U.K., at 5:15 a.m. on Saturday (Korea time). Tottenham won eight games, three draws and four losses, and 27 points. It maintained its fifth place in the league, but is now being closely followed by Manchester United (27 points). It is not far from West Ham (7 wins, three draws and five losses, 24 points) who are ranking ninth in the league.
South Korean striker Son Heung-min played as a one-top player and played for a total of 88 minutes until he was substituted at 43 minutes in the second half. He left the stadium due to injury rather than tactical reasons. He attempted a pass near the halfway line at the end of the second half and suddenly slumped on the ground. Then, he limped and was replaced.
The pain looks serious. Sports specialist Hotspur Sports released a video showing Son Heung-min who was replaced and entered the bench. Son Heung-min, who was sitting on the bench, looked quite sick in extreme pain. He even covered his face with both hands as if he couldn’t stand it. If Son’s injury is serious, his absence could be prolonged to recover his condition.
Of course, Tottenham has to carry out a forced schedule to play against Newcastle in the 16th round of the league on the 11th. Son Heung-min’s recovery is worrisome because he only has two to three days to rest. The Sports Football Fantasy Scout predicted that Son Heung-min could miss the match against Newcastle. Tottenham manager Angel Postecoglou also said, “I don’t know yet. Nothing has come out for sure.”
What hurt more than the injury, however, was Tottenham’s come-from-behind defeat. Team captain Son Heung-min also expressed regret after the match. According to the British newspaper The Standard, Son said, “This loss is unacceptable. We have been leading the matches for the past five games. West Ham are a tough team to play against, but we were complacent. We need to do well because we don’t know what will happen in the Premier League,” adding, “Players need to be responsible.”
“Tottenham fans should not be allowed to receive such a result. Especially at home, we have to play with more energy,” Son said. “It is a disappointing result for the fans. We have to move forward again and make up for it.”
Son only had one shot on the day. Considering that Tottenham produced 23 shots overall, there were too few chances to score a goal. “Considering that Tottenham dominated the game, Son showed strangely minimal performance,” British soccer news outlet 90MIN said. Son’s pass success rate stood at 79 percent.
However, Son has provided various benefits to his team by taking three tackles and two key passes. European soccer statistics media gave him good reviews. Fuscoord.COM gave Son a rating of 7.00. Another statistics site, SofaScore, had a rating of 7.8 and Footmob had a rating of 7.2. 카지노사이트 순위
On this day, Tottenham brought out a 4-2-3-1 formation. Son Heung-min took the one-top. Giovanni Lo Celso, Brennan Johnson, and Dejan Kulusevski supported the attack in the second line. Pierre Hoivier and Yves Bissouma coordinated the midfield. The four-back was from left, Destiny Udozi, Ben Davies, Christian Romero, and Pedro Porro. The goal was saved by Guglielmo Vicario.
Among Tottenham players, center back Romero had the highest rating. He was suspended for three games with a direct red card, and immediately showed off his strong defense. He also scored the first goal at the 11th minute of the first half. Fuscore scored 7.9, Footmob 8.5, and Sopa Score 8.4. In addition to the first goal, Romero made two tackles, two cleanups, and one interception. He also won three competitions in the air ball. However, he failed to smile at his team’s loss.
As Son Heung-min pointed out, Tottenham is agonizing over the increasing number of come-from-behind losses this season. On the same day, Tottenham failed to keep its lead even after scoring the first goal. Team defender Romero led the game with the first goal, but his defense concentration was shaky. After giving up the first goal to West Ham ace Jarrod Bowen in the seventh minute of the second half, they allowed opposing midfielder James Ward-Prouse to score the come-from-behind goal in the 29th minute of the second half. As a result, Tottenham ended up with a five-game winless slump.
Tottenham scored the first goal in all of the previous five matches, when it failed to win. However, they lost points as they failed to keep it safe. According to Opta, which specializes in soccer statistics, Tottenham is the first team in EPL history to fail to win even after scoring the first goal in five consecutive matches. In addition, Tottenham has become the first team in Premier League history to lose even after scoring the first goal in three home games. Due to its defeat against West Ham, Tottenham suffered three consecutive home losses for the first time in 15 years since 2008.
The race for rankings is also turning red. Currently, Tottenham ranks fifth. Manchester City (9 wins, 3 draws, 3 losses with 30 points) did not widen the gap between the two teams as it lost to Aston Villa in the same round. However, sixth-ranked Manchester United is fiercely chasing after each other. It could lose its ranking. Manchester United has gained four wins and one loss in the recent five games.
Tottenham failed to add a win since November. After losing 1-4 to “rival” Chelsea last month, the team’s mood sharply declined. In the match against Chelsea, its key players Mickey Vanderben and James Maddison were injured. In the match against Wolverhampton in the 12th round, the team lost 1-2 after allowing two goals only in the second half of extra time. It also lost 1-2 against Aston Villa. It seemed to rebound by tying 3-3 with Manchester City in the 14th round, but lost to West Ham again and faced crisis.
In the opening 10 games of this season, Tottenham gained eight wins and two draws. They ranked first in the league and were considered strong candidates for the championship. Since its victory in the 2008 League Cup, many people expressed positive outlook that it would win the title for the first time in a while. However, the mood in recent years is serious. It plunged from first place to fifth place in the league. If consecutive losses are prolonged, the team could fall to the mid-range.