It is literally desperate and desired. Ange Postecoglou, the coach, has announced Son Heung-min's (33, Tottenham) participation in the Europa League.

Son Heung-min started the away match against Aston Villa in the 37th round of the 2024-2025 English Premier League at Villa Park in Birmingham, England, on the 17th (Korean time), and played for 74 minutes but had to witness the team's 0-2 defeat. Tottenham, with this loss, recorded 38 points (11 wins, 5 draws, and 21 losses), making it 6 matches without a win in the league. Tottenham's 21 losses in the league are the most since the Premier League started.

Son Heung-min had missed 7 matches due to injury since the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final against Frankfurt on the 11th of last month, and returned as a substitute in the match against Crystal Palace (0-2 loss) on the 11th. He briefly checked his physical condition during this short time. And in the match against Villa, as per Postecoglou's words, he was included in the starting lineup to once again check his match readiness.

Meanwhile, by participating in the match that day, Son Heung-min made his 453rd appearance for Tottenham, surpassing Ted Ditchburn (452 appearances) and reaching 6th place in the all-time official match appearances for the club. With a 27-match gap to 5th place Glenn Hoddle (490 appearances), he has a high probability of surpassing this if he plays at Tottenham next season. The all-time record for most starts at Tottenham is held by Steve Perryman (854 matches).

Coincidentally, except for Son Heung-min, the starting lineup was largely made up of rotation members. This was a strategy considering the Europa final. In the attacking line, Matthijs de Ligt, Mikey Moore, and Wilson Odobert were positioned. In midfield, Pape Sarr and Archie Gray participated. The back four was composed of Sergio Reguilon, Ben Davies, Kevin Danso, and Jed Spence. The starting goalkeeper was Anthony Kinski.

In addition to the lineup, on that day, Coach Postecoglou tested a different strategy of defending first and then countering, as opposed to the existing tactics. In the process, Son Heung-min showed crack-like movement on the left flank. In the 4th minute of the first half, he made a sprint into the defensive space, penetrating to the left side of the penalty box and even attempting a shot.

Son Heung-min took a curling shot in the box in the 14th minute of the first half, and in the 39th minute, he broke through again on the left side and delivered a sharp cross. However, the overall effectiveness of the counterattacks dropped, preventing them from resulting in a goal. After a long time back in the starting lineup, Son Heung-min also mediated a clash between both teams after 5 minutes.

However, Tottenham allowed a goal in the 14th minute of the second half from a corner kick. Watkins dropped the ball to Konsa, who calmly slotted it in for the opening goal. Then, in the 28th minute of the second half, Asensio drew the Tottenham defense and made a precise pass to Kamara, who scored to make it 2-0.

As the tide of the game shifted in favor of the opponents, Coach Postecoglou substituted Son Heung-min and Reguilon for Rodrigo Bentancur and Dominic Solanke. The match concluded with a 0-2 defeat for Tottenham without any additional goals. Although they have seemingly given up on the league, Tottenham is set to leave for the Europa final after 6 consecutive matches without a win in the league.

In his starting return match after a month, Son Heung-min focused on regaining his match readiness ahead of the UEFA Europa League final against Manchester United for the 2024-2025 season. Son Heung-min's Tottenham will face Manchester United on the 22nd for a one-off match for the championship trophy at Estadio San Mames in Bilbao, Spain.

As Tottenham focused on defending and counterattacking, the overall effectiveness of their attacking strategy was low. That day, Tottenham was lacking in possession (Villa 68% Tottenham 32%), passing attempts (Villa 513 successful at 90%, Tottenham 206 successful at 79%), shots (Villa 18 Tottenham 3), and shots on target (Villa 7, Tottenham 1).

Although Son Heung-min did not record many personal shots or crosses, he consistently led the team's counterattacks with his nimble movement throughout the first half. Compared to the match against Crystal Palace, he clearly seemed to have improved his physical condition. Alasdair Gold, a journalist from 'Football London,' rated Son Heung-min's performance as a solid 6.

The loss in this match is not important. The main point is how well Son Heung-min raised his form ahead of the Europa League final. In practice, while he did not produce precise shots or crosses according to the team's tactics, he did show nimble movements in his sprints.

This movement is precisely what Tottenham expects from Son Heung-min. After the match, Coach Postecoglou was asked, "Is Son Heung-min ready to start in the midweek match?" and he immediately responded, "He is ready. He can definitely play." He added, "He started in this match and showed good physical condition. The fact that he managed to play for around 70 to 75 minutes is a positive aspect."

Coach Postecoglou said, "Pay attention to what Son Heung-min showed in the Villa match. He showcased his ability to create space through sprints and breakthroughs throughout the match. He is regaining his rhythm. There were moments in the Villa match where he demonstrated an improvement in form as he regained that rhythm."

Regarding Son Heung-min's return, Coach Postecoglou stated, "Son Heung-min's starting return is very important, especially since we have already lost all our key players. We lost James Maddison, Dejan Kulusevski, and Lucas Bergvall. Nonetheless, now that Son Heung-min has returned, he can play as a key player and veteran for the team," expressing hope, "Given that we have many young players in our team, Son Heung-min is a great help just by his presence."

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