Tottenham have become Son Heung-min’s team. On the one hand, they’ve become a team that’s in trouble without him.
Not only is he the team’s top scorer and top presser, but he is also the team’s top creator of big chances. It means that Son Heung-min has become a team that beats the drum by himself. Of course, the team has become more dependent on him because of his outstanding skills.
According to soccer statistics site ‘Footmob’ on the 12th, Son is the number one in big chance creation among Tottenham players. Big Chance Creation is literally the number of times a player makes a decisive pass or cross that can lead directly to a goal. Once again, Heung-Min Son topped the leaderboard with nine of them.
Right-back Pedro Foro, who has been playing as an “inverted fullback” this season, is next with eight, followed by James Maddison, who has been out of the lineup for over a month due to injury, and right-back Dejan Kulusevski with six.
Son Heung-min is third in the Premier League in big chances created. Liverpool living legend Mohamed Salah, who, like Son, plays as a winger but can also attack and score from the center, tops the list with 13, followed by defender Kieran Trippier, who was “robbed” by Son against Tottenham on Nov. 11, with 10.
Son has thrived this season, switching between left wing and striker. The absence of Harry Kane, Tottenham’s mainstay for a decade until last season, has been devastating.
After struggling all year last season, Son has already scored 10 Premier League goals in 16 games this season, making him Tottenham’s top scorer and third in the Premier League. The killer instinct that made him the top scorer two seasons ago is back in full force.
Son Heung-min’s stats don’t stop there.
According to statistics released by Sky Sports ahead of the Tottenham-Wolverhampton “Korean Derby” on March 11, Spurs pressed 880 times in the final third, the most of any of the 20 Premier League clubs.
Of the Spurs players who topped the list, Son Heung-min was the most prolific with 331 presses. As committed as they are to scoring goals, Spurs are also committed to pressing to regain possession after losing the ball.
In particular, Son led Tottenham in pressing forward with 236 of his 331 presses in the final third. This season, Son has moved from his usual left wing role to a striker, a position previously occupied by Harry Kane, and his relentless pressing has helped the team.
On the other hand, with Son Heung-min leaving for the Asian Cup in Qatar at the beginning of next year for as long as 45 days, filling the void will be the most pressing issue for Tottenham.