Son Heung-min faces bench role as Tottenham struggles in league crisis

Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham Hotspur) is expected to start again from the bench. The remarkable record he has maintained for 8 years is at risk of collapse.

Tottenham will face Southampton in the 31st round of the 2024-2025 Premier League (PL) at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, on the 6th.

Currently, Tottenham remains in 16th place in the league with 34 points (10 wins, 4 draws, 16 losses). Southampton is in last place at 20th with 10 points (2 wins, 4 draws, 24 losses). Tottenham must easily catch the 'bottom team' at home, but Southampton is expected to give their all as a loss in this match would confirm their relegation.

Ahead of the match, 'Football London' disclosed Tottenham's expected starting lineup. Son Heung-min's name was not included. Reporter Rob Guest emphasized, "Micky van de Ven should be excluded from the starting lineup along with Jed Spence, James Maddison, and Son Heung-min."

He predicted that Brennan Johnson, Dominic Solanke, Mathys Tel, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Moura, Pape Sarr, Destiny Udogie, Cristian Romero, Archie Gray, Pedro Porro, and Guglielmo Vicario would be in the starting lineup instead of Son Heung-min.

Guest noted, "Head coach Ange Postecoglou said he would not make too many rotations, but there is a high likelihood of some key players being rested."

Other media shared the same view. Both '90MIN' and the Tottenham fan community 'Spurs Web' predicted that Johnson, Solanke, and Tel would make up Tottenham's attacking lineup. The opinion was only divided on whether Ben Davies and Yves Bissouma would start.

'The Standard' also predicted Son Heung-min would go to the bench. The media stated, "Van de Ven, Son Heung-min, and Maddison are likely to rest," and added, "Son Heung-min could be substituted for Johnson or Tel in the front three. Mikey Moore might also play for a few minutes, and Richarlison is expected to return from his muscle injury," but they anticipated Wilson Odobert starting instead of Tel.

Son Heung-min is expected to come on as a substitute in the second half, just like he did in the matches against Manchester City, Bournemouth, and Fulham. He played for 23 minutes against Manchester City, and was substituted in at the start of the second half against Bournemouth and Fulham, playing for 45 minutes. It is very likely that a similar scenario will unfold this time.

The reason is the UEFA Europa League (UEL) match taking place in the middle of the week. Tottenham will host Eintracht Frankfurt on the 11th for the first leg of the quarter-finals of the tournament. Coach Postecoglou is committed to giving his all for the UEL.

Tottenham has already fallen to the worst level in the league. 16th place is the lowest rank since the Premier League was founded in 1992. To qualify for European competition next season, they need to finish at least in the top 8, but the gap has widened too much. Now, the only realistic way for Tottenham to step on European soil next season is to win the UEL.

Tottenham has already lost 16 times in 30 league matches. This is the first time since 1977. With 8 league matches remaining, there aren’t many opportunities for Tottenham to recover. Even if they manage to climb a few spots in the rankings, it will have limited significance.

Ultimately, focusing on the UEL is the realistic choice. For 16th place Tottenham to defeat Frankfurt, which is currently in 3rd in the Bundesliga, they must give their all. Furthermore, Tottenham played against Chelsea on the 4th and had little time to rest, so managing the conditioning of key players like Son Heung-min, who played the full time, is essential.

It is an unavoidable situation, but it is not something Son Heung-min would be pleased about. Although he played 90 minutes in the match against Chelsea for the first time in a long while, it is unlikely that he would appreciate sitting on the bench continuously. He remarked ahead of the A-Match against Oman last March, "My physical condition is really good right now. I’m more prepared than ever."

Moreover, it is increasingly likely that Son Heung-min will break his remarkable record of 8 consecutive seasons. Except for the 2015-2016 season, which was his debut season at Tottenham, he has scored more than 10 league goals each season. Even in the challenging 2022-2023 season, marked by an ankle fracture and sports hernia, he managed to score 10 goals.

However, Son Heung-min has been limited to 7 goals and 9 assists in the league this season. If he adds just 3 more goals and 1 assist, he could achieve the 10 goals and 10 assists milestone, but time is running out. If the situation continues with Son Heung-min coming on as a substitute in the second half, it will become increasingly challenging to score the 3 goals needed.

Above all, watching Tottenham continue to plummet in the league must be bittersweet for him as captain. This season or next could be Son Heung-min's last at Tottenham. If he ends this way with such poor performance, it is an ending that does not suit Son Heung-min, who is undoubtedly a Tottenham legend.

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