Son Heung-min channels his inner Ange-Anger to traumatise Trippier| Barney Ronay

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At half-time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Heung-min was the final player to leave the field. However, he wasn’t occupied with showing off or complaining to the referee. Instead, he was visibly tired and had to take a brief break, bent over with his hands on his knees, in the Newcastle penalty area for about 30 seconds.

Son made a remarkable move just two minutes before the end of the first half. He took control of the ball from 15 yards within his own half and accelerated with great speed, his feet hitting the ground like a boxer hitting a speed bag. It is quite uncommon to witness a football player outrunning his opponents while still maintaining possession of the ball, dribbling at a pace faster than one can run.

Lewis Miley is a skilled player, but Son quickly advanced, covering 40 yards with the ball and making a lateral pass that resulted in Richarlison almost scoring. At the time, Spurs were leading 2-0. Son had created both goals from a new position on the left wing, where he continuously troubled Kieran Trippier in the intense first half.

Skipping ahead to the 83rd minute, Son was seen darting through the center, now playing as a highly mobile number 9. Martin Dubravka fouled him, resulting in a penalty kick. Son quickly took the shot and scored in the corner, bringing the score to 4-0 in favor of Spurs. The game ultimately ended with a 4-1 victory for Spurs.

Let’s take a closer look at the statistics. Currently, Son is 31 years old and has been with Spurs for nine years. With his latest goal and four assists in the league this season, he has reached a total of 10 goals and 4 assists. He is approaching his 400th game, surpassing all other non-British players in the club’s history except for Chris Hughton. This marks a new era for Son.

Son had been uncharacteristically blunt after the defeat by West Ham, singling out the failure of Spurs’ attack to drive the stake home. And there was an anger in his performance here, a relentlessness, a desire to just keep on coming, as Tottenham ended the game with 23 shots to Newcastle’s eight.

The visitors had factors that lessened the impact, mainly the exhaustion of the entire team. However, the decision to position Son as a typical left winger was crucial in breaking open the game during a crucial time in the first half.

One of the lesser-known elements of contemporary systems-play is the role of the winger. While in the past, the focus may have been on exploiting the weakness of the opposing team by constantly passing to that side and creating openings, modern teams tend to stick to their rehearsed strategies.

It may take up to 20 minutes before another chance arises to fully capitalize on the situation. Typically, full-backs are not easily outplayed. However, in this case, Trippier was outplayed as Ange Postecoglou positioned Dejan Kulusevski as a central attacking midfielder and kept Son confined to the left side of the field.

At the start of the game, the stadium was a beautiful sight with a dark sky above the large industrial roof made of lattices. The golden rooster was strikingly illuminated from behind like Batman, above the section for the home team.

In the first half, Spurs dominated the game and managed to score a goal after 26 minutes. Son created the opportunity by dribbling down the left side, cutting back and forth before making a precise pass into the six-yard box. Surprisingly, it was Destiny Udogie, who is not typically known for his defensive skills as a full-back, who was in the right place to score his first goal for Spurs.

The second goal was also scored by Son, who received a long diagonal pass that just touched Trippier’s head. Son then zigzagged his way, anticipating Trippier’s loss of balance, before moving towards the center and passing the ball back to Richarlison to score.

In the second half, Newcastle changed their approach. Miley and Trippier became more assertive in guarding Son and limiting the gaps he had exploited in the first half. However, Tottenham continued to push forward quickly whenever they regained control of the ball instead of slowing down the pace of the game.

During the game, Jamaal Lascelles received a yellow card for grabbing onto the back of Son’s shirt with one hand as he chased after him near the center of the field. He followed behind like Marty McFly on a hoverboard.

Shortly after, the score became 3-0 thanks to a skillful diagonal pass from Pedro Porro that was finished by Richarlison.

Spurs have secured a win, placing them in fifth position, which seems appropriate. More importantly, it marks the end of a terrible streak. There has been some frustration and resentment towards the team’s positive image and comparison to the peaceful Woodstock festival. In football, being likable is not always favored. How is this man able to remain calm and content, without the typical angst and aggression?

However, credit must be given to Postecoglou for the performance, which was partially influenced by a subtle change in tactics. This moment speaks highly of the coach, who is currently operating at a higher level than ever before in his career.

The level of competition in the Premier League is currently very high. Are you willing to face this challenge head on, without hesitation, and not back down, even when it may be a wise decision to do so?

The most uplifting aspect of this victory, similar to the score at the Etihad Stadium, will be the feeling of adaptability.

Source: theguardian.com