Tottenham Hotspur are having the worst season they’ve had for a long time.
Indeed, Spurs are in a terrible situation right now. Tottenham sit 14th in the Premier League and over the past week, they’ve also been eliminated from both cup competitions.
Tottenham are still backing Ange Postecoglou, and many believe that Spurs’ problems are down to their lengthy injury list.
While Spurs’ injury list makes for grim reading, for some, it’s still not an excuse for poor performances.
Indeed, speaking on the No Tippy Tappy Football Podcast, Phil Thompson has been discussing Spurs’ issues, and he’s pointed towards Heung-Min Son as a potential problem player.
Heung-Min Son is a problem player at Tottenham
Thompson spoke about Spurs’ struggles.
The pundit suggested that some players are no longer listening to Ange Postecoglou, claiming that Son is the main culprit here.
Indeed, Thompson says that Son has really declined, stating that he looks short of energy, passion and commitment at the moment.
“So I think them with Ange has been a thing. I do think it’s always hard when you get so many injuries and when they keep on coming and it’s hard. But I look at some of his players who seem to have lost their way, are they not listening to Ange anymore?” Thompson said.
“The biggest one is Son. What has happened to him at that point? He was a match-winner.
“He was full of energy. And this season, it’s not just in these last couple of months. He has looked so short of it.
“He looks as though he’s not got the passion, the commitment, the ability anymore. Doesn’t look as though he’s got that pace. And he’s the one who just is what Tottenham have been all about this year.”
Heung-Min Son record under different managers
Thompson reckons Son may have stopped listening to Postecoglou, but that does seem like a harsh verdict on the £22m man.
Indeed, when you compare Son’s record under Postecoglou to his record under other managers, he seems to be doing just as well under the Australian.
Of course, Son’s stats from this season aren’t exactly up to his high standards, and, as Thompson says, this is an emerging problem rather than a long-term thing.
It’s hard to believe that a player like Son would down tools for a manager. After all, Son has always been a real professional in training.
The more likely issue here is simply age. Son turns 33 in a few months’ time, and, it’s natural for any footballer to begin to decline at that point.