Tottenham’s sluggishness that even Son Heung-min can’t prevent, advance to the UCL next season is also’dark cloud'[현지리포트]

Son Heung-min is preparing to build a wall ahead of the Manchester City free kick situation. Correspondent Jang Young-min

[맨체스터=스포츠서울 장영민통신원·정다워기자] I fell into extreme sluggishness. Son Heung-min, an ace, seems to have no way of doing anything.

Tottenham Hotspur lost 0-3 in the 2020-2021 English Premier League round 24 match against Manchester City (hereinafter Man City) held at Etihad Stadium in Manchester, England on the 14th (Korean time). In the 23rd minute of the first half, Rodrigo was awarded the opening goal with a penalty kick, and in the second half, Ilkai Gündoan scored consecutive goals and collapsed. In a helpless game, he failed to score victory points without scoring a single goal.

It was a game that was pushed to Man City from start to finish. For 90 minutes, Tottenham’s share of the ball was significantly pushed from 39.6% to 60.4%. The number of shots was also 7-15, which was more than doubled. In the 23rd minute of the first half, Pierre Emile Hoivier walked Guunduan’s leg inside the penalty box and awarded the penalty. In the 5th minute of the second half, the defense collapsed due to a delicate pass play peculiar to Man City, and in the 21st minute, Gündoan received a pass from the back of goalkeeper Ederson and scored after completely defeating Davinson Sanchez.

Tottenham struggled to find pace while Man City was splendidly leading the game with their play. The defensive line struggled with opposing pressure and was unable to perform a normal build-up. Son Heung-min also had a difficult atmosphere to use. Eric Lamela and Lucas Moura, who were supposed to be in charge of the attack, had a hard time serving as a helper for Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, such as making minor mistakes and not getting the timing of the pass. Tottenham coach Jose Mourinho aimed for a reversal by mobilizing all offensive resources such as Musa Sissoko, Dele Ali, and Gareth Bale in the second half, but it was not enough. Ben Davis on the left line couldn’t keep pace with Son Heung-min from behind. In modern football, the attack power of the sideback is essential, but Son Heung-min had to fight alone. At one point in the second half, there was a dizzying scene, such as a strong collision with an opponent and falling on the pitch.

Son Heung-min, who played full-time while fighting, left the stadium bitterly. Director Mourinho patted his shoulder and encouraged him, but his expression was dark. It was a scene that gave a glimpse into Son Heung-min’s complex heart.

Due to the defeat that day, Tottenham failed to leap to the top with 36 points. On the same day, Aston Villa scored a draw against Brighton & Hove Albion, tying with Tottenham, with Aston Villa ahead of the goal by one goal. Eventually, Tottenham fell to ninth.

It is important to recognize the seriousness in that it is not a momentary sluggishness. Tottenham’s last six games have been losing 1-5, and the atmosphere is falling endlessly. Even in five Premier League games, the score is not managed with 1 win and 4 loss. The airborne balance was completely broken by scoring 1 point and 8 runs in the remaining 4 games, excluding the West Bromwich game, which is relegated to 19th in the league.

As such, it will not be easy to advance to the European Football Federation (UEFA) Champions League next season. Currently, the difference between Tottenham and Liverpool in fourth place (40 points) is only four points. It is a gap that can be followed enough, but the flow of Tottenham itself is too bad. 5th place Chelsea is running a streak win streak, and 6th place West Ham United (more than 39 points) has maintained a good performance with 3 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in the last 5 games, so the situation is turning against Tottenham.
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