Liverpool defender Virgil van Dijk has hailed Tottenham Hotspur skipper Heung Min Son as one of the best finishes in the English top tier, as the Dutchman recollects an iconic moment from when the sides rubbed shoulders in 2019.
The Reds skipper sat down with Premier League’s YouTube channel to discuss and recall some of his more memorable moments. And as he recollected his thoughts on those sequences, he speaks about a fixture against Tottenham where the Dutch defender managed to deal with a two-vs.-one situation with Moussa Sissoko and Heung-Min Son running towards the goal.
Reds skipper recalls iconic Son moment from 2019 clash
With a two-versus-one situation developing and Sissoko having the ball on his left foot, VVD had to ensure that the Frenchman didn’t square the ball to Heung Min Son. And apart from blocking the pathway to the South Korean, the former Southampton defender managed to put enough pressure on Sissoko that he had to shoot from his weaker foot.
Speaking on the channel, Virgil van Dijk said:
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“It all goes very quickly, he could’ve scored that quickly, but in that split second I’m thinking don’t play the ball to Son, I cover that line and I block that line because I think Son is one of the best finishers in the Premier League, left and right footed.
“Knowing that Sissoko was a right-footed player that was the decision I had to make, basic defending but it worked very well.”
If that ball was squared to Son, who is possibly one of the best players in such transitional situations, it was a probable goal. The fact that Van Dijk speaks about how, as a defender, you have to be wary of Son’s threat from both feet shows how highly revered talent Son possesses.
The South Korean has netted 164 goals and has laid 86 assists in 415 games for Tottenham since joining in 2015.
As Spurs navigate their objectives to qualify in the Champions League in the ongoing season, Son will come integral if Spurs were to achieve those. And his ability to make something out of nothing makes him a constant threat, and these comments by Van Dijk suggest exactly that.
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How many goals do you think Son will score in the 2024/25 season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
