Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte rules out dropping Son Heung-min ahead of Brighton clash
Speaking ahead of his side’s clash against Brighton & Hove Albion (h/t Evening Standard), Tottenham Hotspur boss Antonio Conte dismissed the suggestion that he would drop forward Son Heung-Min for the game due to the player’s poor run of form.
Conte and Son would go on to beat Brighton at the Amex Stadium, with Cristian Romero and Harry Kane scoring in each half of the game to put the tie to rest and claim three precious points in the Premier League.
Before the game, Conte praised Son for being a player who could change a match’s result, despite not being in the best form of late because the South Korean was playing well and also playing every game.
“Sonny is a player who can change a result in the end. It can happen that a player can be in not the best form for a period, because we’re talking a player who plays every game. But, for me, he is playing well.”
Last night’s win over the Seagulls was a great way to bounce back from the weekend’s result against Manchester United, which Spurs lost 3-2 at Old Trafford. They also move up to seventh place in the league table, inching closer to a top-four spot.
“It doesn’t happen”
Son has waned in form since the turn of the new year, with the 29-year-old not looking at his clinical best recently. Known to be a player that regularly popped up with goals and provided assists for his teammates, he has looked a little short on confidence and ideas in the past couple of weeks.
When quizzed about the forward’s form and whether he would be dropped for the Brighton game, Conte dismissed these suggestions and said that he does not have any idea to relegate Son to the bench and that the player was always committed on the pitch.
“And that’s also for his commitment, so he has to start. I don’t have an idea to drop him. Honestly, no. It doesn’t happen. I’m not crazy to do something like this.”
Even though the South Korea international has not racked up the goals this term, he is still an important player of the group. His link-up game with Kane is unparalleled, and the duo on the pitch means a sign for Spurs fans that goals can be expected.
Son has not had a scoring drought either, with the forward picking up a goal against Everton just a few weeks back. Regularly finding the back of the net, as we have come to expect from him, has gone missing this year.
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However, his energy and desire to win on the pitch comes second to none at N17. The Asian star is willing to track back and defend even when he plays further up the pitch, and even with Dejan Kulusevski’s arrival in January to increase competition for places in the team, it is Lucas Moura who has been dropped to make space for the Swede, and not Son.
The ex-Bayer Leverkusen star will prove to be an important part of the team as we approach the business end of the season, as he and his teammates work hard to ensure that we secure Champions League football next term. Hopefully, we see more goals from the fan favourite in coming weeks.
