Is Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham) the only desperate person at Tottenham?
Tottenham will face AZ Alkmaar in the second leg of the 2024-25 UEFA Europa League Round of 16 at 5 a.m. (Korea time) on the 14th at their home ground, Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London.
Tottenham lost 0-1 in the away match against AZ Alkmaar on the 7th. A ridiculous own goal by Lucas Veriwal became the decisive goal. Tottenham needs to win by at least two goals to advance to the quarter-finals.
Currently ranked 13th in the Premier League, Tottenham's only title challenge is the Europa League. They lost 0-1 in the first leg against AZ Alkmaar. In their last three matches, Tottenham has been very lackluster with 1 draw and 2 losses. Manager Ange Postecoglou's tactics are perplexing. He excluded Son Heung-min from the starting lineup in the crucial match against Manchester City, believing there was no chance of winning early on and deciding to rotate Son.
The results have been disastrous. Tottenham lost to Manchester City and have even jeopardized their Europa League hopes. They have gained nothing at all. To make matters worse, the young players are not performing well. Only captain Son Heung-min continues to struggle significantly.
Ahead of the second leg against AZ Alkmaar, Son Heung-min pointed out the complacent attitude of the younger players. Son said, "Just working hard alone will not guarantee victory. A strong mental attitude is always necessary in a match. The attitude of working hard and skills are always the basic issues."
In such an important situation, manager Ange Postecoglou had a confrontation with a reporter at the official press conference. During the press conference for the match against AZ Alkmaar on the 12th, a reporter asked, "Isn’t it a choice between winning or failing?"
Irritated, Postecoglou responded, "There are not many professions that require answering such questions. I am politely saying that we will focus on winning. We are continuing to improve. If we maintain our tempo and concentration, we will have a chance to win."
If they lose this match, Postecoglou will not fulfill his own words. Regarding the criticism that Tottenham lacks titles, Postecoglou said, "I have won in the second year of my tenure at any team I have managed. Nothing will change for Tottenham. I believe we can do that."
Postecoglou has experienced victory in the second year of his tenure with both Yokohama F. Marinos and Celtic. However, at Tottenham, he has lost trust, falling to 13th place in the Premier League in his second year.
[OSEN = Reporter Seo Jeong-hwan]