This is Tottenham Hotspur's biggest crisis. Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham) has been excluded from the roster for the away match in Germany.
Tottenham Hotspur officially announced on the 17th (Korea time) through their official website that "Coach Ange Postecoglou stated that Son Heung-min did not accompany the team to Germany and will miss the away match against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League quarterfinal second leg."
Tottenham lost 2-4 to Wolverhampton Wanderers in the away match of the Premier League round 32 season 2024-2025 held at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England on the 13th.
Tottenham lined up in a 4-3-3 formation, and Son Heung-min missed the match due to a foot injury.
Just 2 minutes into the match, Rayan Ait-Nouri scored the opening goal, and in the 38th minute, an own goal by Jed Spence brought Tottenham down 0-2.
In the second half, Tottenham introduced Lucas Beryval and Rodrigo Bentancur, and in the 14th minute, Mathys Tel finished Brennan Johnson's cross to pull one back. However, Ait-Nouri's cross was converted into a goal by Jørgen Strand Larsen, extending Wolverhampton's lead back to two goals.
In the 40th minute, Richarlison pushed in a corner kick situation to narrow the score to 2-3, but shortly after, a mistake by Beryval allowed Matheus Cunha to score another goal. The match ended in a 2-4 defeat for Tottenham.
In this match, a rare situation occurred where Son Heung-min was completely excluded from the lineup. Just before kickoff, Tottenham's club announced through their official website that "Coach Postecoglou made six changes to the starting lineup after the draw against Eintracht Frankfurt. Tel returned to the starting lineup instead of Son Heung-min, and Son Heung-min was completely excluded from the match roster."
According to the club, Coach Postecoglou explained directly that "Son Heung-min sustained a foot injury. So we are being careful," indicating that the exclusion was to prevent further injury.
Tottenham currently sits in 15th place in the league and has been eliminated from both the FA Cup and the Carabao Cup (EFL Cup). The only way to compete in European competitions next season is to win the Europa League.
It doesn't seem easy. First, they must overcome the hurdle of the away match in Frankfurt. Frankfurt boosted their momentum with a 3-0 victory over Heidenheim after facing Tottenham.
There are predictions that Son Heung-min might be able to play in the second leg of the Europa League. The Daily Mail reported that "With Tottenham dropping to 15th in the league, the Europa League is essentially their last hope this season," explaining that "This season, Son Heung-min has appeared in 43 matches across all competitions for Tottenham, scoring 11 goals and providing 12 assists."
Coach Postecoglou also noted at the time, "Son Heung-min is approaching cautiously due to a bruise on his foot. Wilson Odobert is in the same situation. Both should be able to return for the Frankfurt match."
However, the situation has changed. Tottenham officially announced that "Son Heung-min missed the previous Premier League match against Wolverhampton due to a foot injury and had hoped to participate in this European tournament (the Frankfurt match), but he still has pain. He is in a situation where participation in the second leg is impossible."
The club conveyed Coach Postecoglou's words, stating, "In the end, Son Heung-min could not join. He is the only player missing for this match."
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