A shocking criticism has been raised that 'Captain' Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham Hotspur) should be prohibited from dribbling.

Tottenham drew 1-1 with Eintracht Frankfurt in the first leg of the quarterfinals of the 2024-2025 UEFA Europa League (UEL) at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, on the 11th (Korea time).

Tottenham, having failed to seize the initiative at home, must secure a victory in next week's away match against Frankfurt to avoid elimination. The second leg between the two teams will take place at Deutsche Bank Park on the 18th.

Son Heung-min was, as expected, in the starting lineup. Head Coach Ange Postecoglou employed a 4-3-3 formation. Son Heung-min, Dominic Solanke, Brennan Johnson, James Maddison, Rodrigo Bentancur, Lucas Vangelis, Destiny Udogie, Mickey van de Ven, Cristian Romero, Pedro Porro, and Guglielmo Vicario were the starters.

Eintracht Frankfurt lined up in a 4-2-3-1 formation. Hugo Ekitike, Nathaniel Brown, Mario Götze, and Jean-Matteo Bayo were in the front line. Hugo Lloris, Ellyes Skhiri, Arthur Theate, Tuta, Robin Koch, and Rasmus Kristensen formed the rest of the starting lineup, with Kauan Santos.

Just six minutes into the kickoff, Frankfurt opened the scoring. They initiated a counterattack by stealing the ball from Maddison in defense and quickly delivered a long pass to Ekitike at the forefront. Ekitike moved forward while outpacing Porro and scored with a powerful shot.

Tottenham equalized. In the 26th minute of the first half, Maddison dodged the opposing defense on the left side of the box and passed it toward the goal. Porro connected with a stylish back-heel shot to score.

Tottenham worked hard to crack Frankfurt's goal for a home victory. However, they were not fortunate with scoring. In the 10th minute of the second half, Vangelis' powerful long-range shot hit the corner of the goal post, and two minutes later, Bentancur's header struck the crossbar.

Coach Postecoglou took a gamble by substituting three players, including Son Heung-min, in the 34th minute of the second half, but it did not yield results. Just before the end, van de Ven's header was saved by Santos. Ultimately, the match ended in a 1-1 draw.

It is a disappointing result for Tottenham. In particular, Son Heung-min's silence has been pointed out. On the day, he recorded about 79 minutes, with 2 shots, 2 chances created, 5 touches in the box, and 0 successful dribbles (2 attempts), failing to meet expectations. He missed a free-kick opportunity with an absurdly off-target cross and had a sharply angled shot saved by the opposing goalkeeper.

Locally in England, Son Heung-min faced harsh criticism. London's local newspaper 'Football London' remarked, "Other than a good shot early in the second half, he did not meet expectations as captain," rating him a 5. 'Evening Standard' also noted, "Although he was involved in the buildup for the score, there was a lack of overall impact," giving him a score of 5.

'Goal.com' slammed Son Heung-min's dribbling performance. The outlet stated, "If Coach Postecoglou could replay this match, he would have instructed Son Heung-min not to dribble against defenders (or he should have). He lost the ball too easily and was not threatening in critical areas, ultimately leading to his substitution," giving him a score of 4.

Fan sentiment is also negative. The Tottenham fan community 'Tottenham News' commented, "This is a shocking Son Heung-min. He did not score again," giving him the lowest score of 3 in the team. The outlet criticized, "Despite a lot of ball possession, Son Heung-min failed to show any influence." On social media, there were many disappointed reactions, such as "He should be sold right now," "I don't know why he is always a starter," and "It would be tough even in Saudi Arabia."

Meanwhile, the UEL is Tottenham's last hope for the season. Tottenham is experiencing a serious slump this season, particularly suffering 16 losses in 31 Premier League matches, marking the worst record since 1977.

According to European football transfer market expert Fabrizio Romano, Tottenham's board has now lost patience. The only way to change the situation is through winning the UEL. While it has been a time they want to forget, if they can win the UEL and escape a trophyless season after 17 years, a spot in next season's UEFA Champions League could be possible.

The fate of Coach Postecoglou also hinges on the UEL results. Tottenham plans to dismiss him at the end of this season unless he dramatically wins the UEL. Marco Silva of Fulham, Andoni Iraola of Bournemouth, and Oliver Glasner of Crystal Palace are already being mentioned as strong candidates for his replacement.

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