Heung Min Son Tottenham
Tottenham boss Antonio Conte believes Son Heung-min is at the “peak of his form” but he can still improve. A key player ever since his move to the club back in 2015, the South Korean has contributed recently with a number of important goals in the top-four race.
Antonio Conte said: “We are talking about a really good player. I was sure that it was normal after an injury to need a bit of time to recover the best possible condition and get back again into our idea of football again. But I was sure, because Sonny for us is a really important player and at the peak of his form. But he can improve, and that is my expectation – that he gives us from now until the end of the season and big push and to try to finish his race in the best possible way. Don’t forget, one month ago I asked my best players, my more representative players, that now the team needed this type of player to take on the more important responsibilities. That role is also important for this.”
Conte was recently asked in one press conference if Son needed a rest to help him rediscover his top form. The head coach brought up that very question when discussing the his player and made it clear that football changes.
Antonio Conte said: “I can only speak about Sonny in an enthusiastic way, because he is not only a top player, but he is a really good guy. He is very polite and a fantastic guy. When you speak with him, not only about football, it is good. Every record is important and it is important to score three goals but only if your team wins. In the last game, if Sonny had scored three goals and we had lost 4-3, the player cannot be happy. The player has to think that first of all I am playing for the team. We want to help Sonny to break every record and it was the same with Harry Kane. But they know very well that the team comes before the individual’s goal tally. But for sure Sonny now is in a good moment of form and playing well. Don’t forget that maybe three weeks ago, during a press conference, somebody asked me to put him on the bench to give him a rest. But they knew that football changes, no? A month ago, people answered me by saying that I had to be crazy to think of giving a rest to Sonny and put him on the bench because we are talking about a really important player for us. For sure we want to help him break every record and score more goals. But, our first target has to be a team target – to try to finish this race in the best possible way.”
Conte already knew that Son was a very special player before taking on the Tottenham job in November but he now has the opportunity to help him hit another level.
Antonio Conte said: “I know these players from the past, we are talking about players who are known in the whole world. For sure to work with these players every day you understand them much better and the work you have in your hands. You can understand the specific characteristic of the players, otherwise if you stay outside you understand that Son is a great player, Kane is a fantastic player, the other players are really top. Only when you have the players in your hand and you start to work with them, you understand very well the characteristic and try to work in a way to improve them and to exploit much more these characteristics.”
Tottenham have hit 12 goals in their last three Premier League games but during that period Harry Kane has not managed to find the back of net. Perhaps unthinkable given his outstanding form in the final third, Conte believes this now makes his Spurs side “unpredictable” for their opponents.
Antonio Conte said: “I think it is important for us to have many solutions to get three points and to win. Also because this way you are unpredictable. Otherwise if you only have one player to score it could be simple for your opponent to stop him with two or three men and then the game has finished. We have created a good idea of football, many solutions for different players, to attack with many players and to be unpredictable. Don’t forget that Harry does not love this situation if he doesn’t score. He makes assists and it is the same, we are talking about a fantastic player. It is good to score but at the same time it is really good to make assists and he has an important vision of football and for us he is an important player. Harry is the first person to enjoy other players scoring, especially if it means we can win and get three points and the only final target for us is to try and reach the best possible position at the end of the season.”
Tottenham are thriving in their 3-4-3 formation at present with Son, Kane and Dejan Kulusevski forming a formidable front three. Conte also feels that this setup is also “exploiting the best characteristics” of his squad.
Antonio Conte added: “For every single player it is important to know the type of football that you are going to play with your team. Every coach has to try to find the right formation to exploit the characteristic of your players. After six months that we are working with this formation I think the players know very well what I want, know very the well the options have when they receive the ball, the space they go to have to occupy and the change of roles we can do during the game. In this moment they are enjoying to play this type of football, with this formation and I think this formation I am exploiting the best characteristic of this squad.”
