Son Heung-min (32) is on fire. As Tottenham Hotspur's slump continues, Son Heung-min's leadership is also being pointed out.
Tottenham drew 1-1 with Rangers in the sixth round of the UEFA Europa League (UEL) league phase of the 2024-2025 season at Ibrox Stadium in Glasgow, Scotland on the 13th (Korea time).
As a result, Tottenham has failed to win for the fifth time in an official match. Since its 4-0 win over Manchester City last month, the team has had only three draws and two losses. The UEL League phase ranking is ninth with 11 points. The team is tied with Rangers on points, but the team lost ground on goal difference. To be in the top eight teams that will qualify for the round of 16, the team needs to win its remaining two matches.
Tottenham was taken away by Hamza Igamane in the second minute of the second half, but Dejan Kulusevski's equalizer in the 30th minute of the second half balanced it. The two teams exchanged shots for three points afterwards, but no more goals were scored.
Tottenham was fortunate not to lose. According to Football Association (Footmob), the Rangers outperformed the Rangers in terms of the number of shots (15-12), shots on goal (6-3), and big chances (2-0). In terms of expected score (xG), Rangers also recorded 1.49, but Tottenham scored 0.87, which was less than one goal.
Tottenham is facing the worst of the mood. Notably, Postecoglou's position has become more precarious. It is a matter of course, as the team has fallen to 11th place in the league as well. "Tottenham's slump that I want to forget is continuing," said British Express. "Postecoglou's pressure to replace him will inevitably rise further. Although his dismal performance improved in the second half, a 1-1 draw against Tottenham could be a generous result."
Postecoglou also stirred controversy at a press conference. He also criticized Timo Werner for pointing fingers at him. When Werner was mentioned as a substitute when he started, he said, "He showed performance that he could not get close to where he needed to play. If there is an 18-year-old player, I cannot accept it. I told Werner that. He is a member of the German national team and a veteran player of the national team."
However, it is unusual for a coach to criticize a player no matter how sluggish Werner was. "Postecoglou has traditionally defended players openly even after poor performances. This criticism against Werner was the highest level among those against Tottenham players," The Athletic said.
Postecoglou did not cancel his remarks despite controversy over verbal abuse. Rather, he said, "I don't regret it. It was not a criticism. It was an evaluation. We were terrible. It didn't matter whether Werner did a good job or not. Last night was a difficult game. I am asking 18-year-old players to do a great job and I want veteran players. I have no time to care about how Werner reacted."
Son is also being criticized. That Son has not been able to show leadership as a captain. Spurs Web, a Tottenham fan community, said, "Captain Son was shaken tonight. He didn't have a presence in the center, and it was the same when his back was against the goal in the box. It didn't work when he moved to the left side. Son clearly lacked leadership." 토토사이트
The British football club "Football London" also tripped over Son. "The problem with Postecoglou is that young players like Kulusevski have to step up as leaders of this season are either absent or inconsistent. Guglielmo Vicario will be sidelined for three months due to a broken foot, while Christian Romero played for only 14 minutes in his return match and collapsed due to new injury," the media reported.