The reason why Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham Hotspur) started from the bench against West Ham was revealed. Head coach Christian Stelloni had problems with Son Heung-min’s condition and wanted to play in the best condition possible.
The British media ‘Football London’ reported on the 25th (Korean time), “Head coach Stelloni spoke of Son Heung-min’s decision to bench against West Ham. He sat Heung-min Son on the bench because of a ‘long-time problem’.”
According to ‘Football London안전놀이터‘, coach Stelloni has many important schedules for Tottenham in the second half, and he wanted to raise Son Heung-min’s condition to the best possible level. Regarding the ‘problem he had for a long time’, he said, “(Son Heung-min’s bench) was because of his condition. Hischarlisson rose to 100%, but Son Heung-min did not. Sometimes a player with a problem needs time to recover.”
I heard that it was because of the tight schedule. “Next time we have 4 games in 10 days. Every game is intense and difficult. We need 100 per cent players. If one player is 100 per cent and the other is 70 per cent, we have to pick 100 per cent players,” Stelloni said. He explained why he did not choose Son Heung-min as the starter.
Son Heung-min shared the Premier League Golden Boot with Mohamed Salah last season. He showed off his top-class scoring ability as he became the first Asian to become the top scorer in Europe’s 5th proxy. However, this season, due to overlapping orbital fracture injuries and the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, he did not show perfect performance.
He shook the net against Crystal Palace in the 19th round of the Premier League, but was quiet afterwards. Coach Stelloni judged that it was not 100%, and instead of Son Heung-min, Hischarlisson was put in as a starter against West Ham.
Son Heung-min scrambled from the bench as a substitute and walked the ground for 22 minutes, scoring his 98th personal Premier League goal. Coach Stelloni’s judgment that Son Heung-min “needed time to recover” was correct as he fired the scorer.
Tottenham are currently 4th in the Premier League. They are only 1 point away from Newcastle United, so they must diligently build an undefeated and winning streak. The opposing team on the 26th is Chelsea, but Chelsea is sluggish under coach Graham Porter. This is an opportunity for Son Heung-min, who tasted the goal against West Ham, to score his 99th Premier League goal at home.