Son Heung-min answers if he will start for Tottenham Hotspur vs AC Milan
There is an odd narrative that seems to be going around in some sections of the Tottenham Hotspur fanbase – that Son Heung-min could be used as, or, could fare better as a ‘super-sub’.
The belief would stem from, or would have been reinforced by his impact off the bench in the first two games he did not start this season. Son started off the season poorly and did not score in his first six league games.
Be it due to his form or just as a way to give him some rest, manager Antonio Conte benched him against Leicester City on 17 September. He came on to score a second-half hat trick as we won 6-2.
A run of 14 league games with just one goal culminated in the South Korea international being relegated to the bench against West Ham United. Again, Son came on in the second half and scored to hand us a 2-0 win.
Assistant manager Cristian Stellini claimed it was because of a ‘problem‘ that Son has had for a long time. However, given that such a problem wasn’t evident overtly, it was natural for fans to speculate on why the former Bayer Leverkusen star didn’t start.
Son should start vs AC Milan
He was then surprisingly benched against Chelsea in our 2-0 win. Although he didn’t score or assist here, but not being in the starting XI for such an important game raised eyebrows among Spurs fans.
Could this be the season where Spurs start to accept the notion that Son may have to be taken out of the team for younger options such as Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski to get regular playing time?
Hopefully not. He won the Premier League Golden Boot just last season and is evidently a world-class footballer still, even if he may not be contributing with as many goals as he was before.
Son was at the pre-match press conference for our game against AC Milan. He was asked if he will start against Milan, to which he responded (h/t Football.London):
“I don’t know. I don’t know the team yet so you should ask the manager. He has a better answer.”
When asked about a potential role as a substitute, Son added:
“Obviously, every player wants to play at the start of the game. But when you play on the bench, most of the games, especially in these high-quality game, are changing in the second half when everyone is getting a little bit tired and a little bit fatigued.
“I think everyone should get ready for every opportunity because football is playing for 90, or maybe tomorrow 120 minutes. Every second could bring an impact. For me. it doesn’t really change anything because my mind is always ready to help the team.”
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The 30-year-old should start against Milan. We need his experience and world-class ability down the left-hand side. he probably will make the starting XI, but the fact that he was even asked about being a substitute in such a season-defining game could be the start of a time where, like Liverpool’s Roberto Firmino, he is slowly phased out of the starting XI on a regular basis for younger options.