Tottenham Hotspur faced Aston Villa in the 13th round of the Premier League in the 2023-2024 season at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England, at 11 p.m. on the 26th (Korea time), losing 1-2.
Having failed to secure additional points, Tottenham ended up with 26 points (8 wins, 2 draws and 3 losses) and lost the fourth place to Aston Villa (28 points). Tottenham was bogged down for three consecutive games this time following Chelsea and Wolverhampton Wanderers. It is safe to say that Tottenham ended empty-handed without Son Heung-min’s silence and failing to secure a point, lost the fourth place to Aston Villa.
Tottenham had a good game on the day but still had a good luck in goal. In fact, in terms of statistics, Tottenham performed much better than before. They were ahead in both the number of attacks (72 at Tottenham – 42 at Aston Villa) and the possession rate (62 at Tottenham vs. Aston Villa 38% at Tottenham). Even Tottenham scored high expectations (2.34 at Aston Villa 1.76 at Tottenham).
Naturally, Tottenham was superior in the number of shootings (18 for Tottenham, 15 for Aston Villa), effective shooting (8 for Tottenham, 5 for Aston Villa), and the number of passes and success rate. Even with nine corner kicks, Tottenham recorded much more than Aston Villa (three times), showing good performance. 안전놀이터
The problem is offside. Tottenham scored five offside plays (two offside play by Aston Villa). Notably, Son scored no goal despite scoring three times. Referee Robert Jones cancelled all three of Son’s goals.
It was literally Tottenham’s lucky day. Tottenham seemed to add a goal in the 44th minute of the first half when they were leading 1-0. Son Heung-min caught the ball that Hoivier pushed, and immediately rushed into the box and shot it. The net was shaken, but offside was declared.
Tottenham cried again over the offside decision. Son Heung-min seemed to score in the 14th minute of the second half when it was 1-1, but it was not recognized as a goal as Johnson’s offside decision came out in the previous scene. In the 40th minute of the second half, when the team was 1-2 behind, Son Heung-min pushed the ball that protruded into the goal after the prisoner hit it, but it was declared offside again.
Amid the ongoing offside decision, Son Heung-min failed to score in the end. When Son Heung-min was silent, other players also showed regret in their decision-making power, and Tottenham failed to score additional points. From Tottenham’s point of view, the team’s silence overwhelmed the game and led to defeat.
Son Heung-min cried when he cancelled his scoring three times, but did not look too bad. He displayed sharp movements, including a pass success rate of 88 percent (22/25), creating three chances, shooting two times, touching nine times in the opponent’s box, and passing two times in the attacking area. He only scored no goal, but displayed fairly good performance.
Regarding Son’s offside scene, some criticized him for attempting excessive attacks without trusting his teammates. However, a closer look at the current situation of Tottenham’s offense reveals that it was wrong. Most likely, Son will shoot himself.
Looking at the number of PL Big Chance generated by soccer statistics firm Sopa Score, Son Heung-min is tied for third with seven times. However, he has only one assist. Indeed, none of the top-ranked players in creating Big Chance have garnered less assistance than Son.
Compared to teammates James Maddison (six Big Chance generations, five Big Chance generations) and James Ward Frouse (six Big Chance generations, five Big Chance generations), who have six fewer Big Chance generations than Son Heung-min, you can see how much Tottenham teammates did not eat Son Heung-min’s honey pass.
In the end, from Tottenham’s point of view, Son Heung-min is more likely to shoot himself and be involved in scoring rather than focusing on creating a big chance. The failure to reinforce a proper central striker despite Harry Kane’s transfer leads to this result.
Meanwhile, chances are high that Son’s struggles will continue for the time being. Madison’s return is scheduled for at least next year, and resources such as Mano Solomon and Hisalisson are expected to be sidelined for a long time. Next, Tottenham will face off against Manchester City, the strongest team.