The last hope for victory is on the brink of collapse. Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham Hotspur) faced harsh criticism after failing to prevent his team's defeat.
Tottenham Hotspur recorded a 0-1 loss against AZ Alkmaar in the first leg of the round of 16 of the 2024-2025 season UEFA Europa League (UEL) held at the AZ Stadion in Alkmaar, Netherlands, at 2:45 a.m. on the 7th (KST).
As a result, Tottenham is in a situation where they must win in the second leg. This is a result Tottenham did not desire at all, having declared 'All in on UEL.' If they also get eliminated from UEL, they will finish this season without any trophies.
Tottenham lined up in a 4-3-3 formation. Son Heung-min, Matthijs Tel, and Brennan Johnson were positioned at the front, while James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur, and Lucas Veriwald filled the midfield. Destiny Udogie, Kevin Danso, Ashley Grayer, and Jed Spence comprised the back line, and Guglielmo Vicario guarded the goal.
Alkmaar also employed a 4-3-3 formation. Rado, Troy Parrott, and Ernest Pokou formed the attacking trio, while Pier Koopmeiners, Zico Burmister, and Jordi Classy took care of the midfield. David Möller Olfe, Alexandre Penetra, Wouter Hoest, and Maikuma Seiya made up the back line, with goalkeeper Rom Jayden Owusuoduro between the sticks.
Before the match, Tottenham was expected to dominate. However, Tottenham instead struggled against Alkmaar's pressure and delivered a dismal performance. Compounding this was an own goal by Veriwald in the 18th minute of the first half. Parrott, a 'former Tottenham player,' took a shot from a corner kick, and the ball deflected off Veriwald's foot and into the net.
Tottenham continued to falter thereafter. In the 31st minute, they allowed Parrott a one-on-one opportunity by giving up space behind, but they narrowly escaped the crisis thanks to a save by Vicario. In a free-kick opportunity earned in the 34th minute, Son Heung-min made a touch mistake and failed to execute the set piece planned with Maddison.
Manager Ange Postecoglou made a change in the attack immediately at the start of the second half, substituting Tel for Wilson Odobert. Son Heung-min moved to the central striker position. However, not much changed. In fact, Alkmaar created even more threatening situations, but they were thwarted by Vicario.
Unable to solve their attacking woes, Tottenham brought on Dominic Solanke, who had returned from injury, in the 27th minute to replace Son Heung-min in search of an equalizer. However, sporadic shots from Odobert were blocked by the goalkeeper, and another misfortune occurred when Solanke collapsed again during stoppage time. Ultimately, Tottenham ended the match with only one shot on target in 90 minutes, leading to their defeat.
Son Heung-min also could not escape his poor performance. He played approximately 72 minutes in the roles of left winger and central striker but failed to make a difference. He recorded three shots, but none were threatening. Additionally, he created zero chances, successfully dribbled once (1/3), and completed one cross (1/2).
In the UK, Son Heung-min was named 'the worst.' The Tottenham fan community Spurs Web rated him 2 points, which was the lowest on the team, alongside Veriwald and James Maddison. The media noted, "Son Heung-min was truly terrible. He wasted attacks, and shots were constantly blocked. After moving to the center in the second half, he became nonexistent. He was lacking in almost every aspect today."
'Football London' also assigned Son Heung-min the lowest score of 3 on the team. The media critiqued, "As the captain, he moved between the left flank and the front line in the second half but failed to exert influence. He attempted a shot once, but a dribble shot directed inward missed high and wide."
'Tottenham News' similarly pointed out, "When Tottenham needed him most, captain Son Heung-min was nowhere to be seen and failed to make an impact. This has been a common theme this season." The media added, "Another player significantly below expectations. He had just one touch in the opponent's box and one successful dribble. This clearly shows why Son Heung-min is being criticized this season," awarding him a score of 4.
Former Tottenham player Jamie O'Hara pointedly criticized Son Heung-min again. He stated on UK 'Sky Sports,' "Now is the time when goals are needed. Postecoglou substituted Tel and positioned Son Heung-min at the front. However, Son Heung-min was nonexistent in this match. Players were expected to penetrate behind, but Tottenham showed no such play whatsoever."
O'Hara also remarked, "Ball possession was really slovenly. I expected more from Tottenham in this match. It's like a cup final. The season hinges on these two matches. It seems Tottenham are struggling to get through this."
O'Hara has been critical of Son Heung-min throughout this season. In the early part of the season, he sparked controversy by stating, "The Son Heung-min we knew is over. Real fans would think so," and later added comments like, "Son Heung-min is no longer a captain or a leader."
For Son Heung-min, the only way to silence the criticism is through performances on the field. After the match, he said, "We did not even come close to the level of performance we should have shown. This performance was very disappointing, including for myself. With our biggest match of the season next week, it raises a significant alert."
He continued, "I truly think there was a lack of great attention. It is always difficult to play an away match in UEL. We created nothing in the first half and were sloppy. We did not do what we needed to do." Son Heung-min chose to apologize and reflect instead of making excuses.
Finally, Son Heung-min vowed to win in the second leg. He stated, "Everyone is very disappointed with both personal performance and team performance. We need to reflect on ourselves. There are no excuses. We did not do well enough. Now it is only 0-1, and it is not over yet. We must be much better next week."
[Photo] ⓒGettyimages (no unauthorized reproduction or redistribution), Tottenham News, TNT Sports.
[OSEN]