Only free kick? Definitely not! Son Heung-min, will he get angry at the coach again? → Tottenham is on the verge of having additional problems "Vice captain should be better"+"Wasteful of scoring opportunities"

Sep 05, 2024

Tottenham is heating up with the free-kick kicker debate. But that is not the only problem. England's Hotspur HQ showed problems in Tottenham's statistics at the beginning of this season on the 5th (Korea time). Inefficiency is a problem in scoring situations,' he pointed out. In addition, EPL legend Roy Keane pointed out the sluggishness of vice-captain James Maddison. REUTERS Yonhap News

Tottenham is heating up due to the free kick kick kicker debate. But that is not the only problem.

Tottenham were recently disrupted by a free-kick kicker during the match. It started against Newcastle. Tottenham lost 1-2 to Newcastle in the third round of the English Premier League (EPL) in 2024-2025 season at St. James Park in Newcastle, England on the 1st.

Newcastle took the lead with a burst of scoring. In the 37th minute of the first half, Harvey Barnes, who was in the center of the box, shook Tottenham's net by connecting Lloyd Kelly's cross with a shot. Tottenham fought back in the second half after finishing the first half with a drag. In the 11th minute of the second half, Tottenham aimed for the goal with James Maddison's shot from the right, and the ball was blocked by Nick Pope's save and flowed to Brennan Johnson. Johnson's shot was a trajectory that went out of the goal, but Dan Burn's attempt to clear it over the net turned into an own goal as it headed inside the Newcastle goal.

However, Tottenham failed to maintain its balance until the end of the game. Murphy, who received a pass from Bruno Guimarães in the 33rd minute of the second half, handed the ball to Aleksandar Isaac in the center of the box after the breakthrough, pushing it into the goal and splitting the Tottenham goal. In the end, Tottenham lost to Newcastle and recorded their first loss of the season.

It was the 13th minute of the second half of the free kick scene in question. James Maddison took a free-kick opportunity by getting an opponent's foul in front of the box. When the free kick was declared, captain Son Heung-min was the first to catch the ball. Son Heung-min wanted to deliver the ball to Madison and Pedro Porro, who were in charge of the existing free kick. Tottenham is in charge of Madison as much as possible when a free kick occurs, but there were many cases where prisoners were dealt with.

The problem was Eve Bissouma. When a free kick occurred in a good position for Bissouma, he extorted the ball by expressing his intention to handle the free kick. Immediately, the prisoner complained and made a gesture for the ball. The problem grew as the non-marine did not back down. As it took a considerable amount of time due to the war of nerves between the two players, Son Heung-min appeared to step up and take away Bissouma's ball and make concessions. However, Bissouma did not retreat, and in the end, Son Heung-min shouted at Postecoglou toward the bench, and Porro took over the free kick while talking about it.

Tottenham reporter Alesdare Gold, from Football London, said 'At the time of the second half, Tottenham had a strange moment when they got a free kick near the Newcastle box. 'He couldn't even decide who would kick between Madison and Porro, and Tottenham's set-piece was going well before that situation,' he said, explaining that Tottenham players had created problems due to their greed for a set-piece already set.

Afterwards, Son Heung-min shouted to Postecoglou to decide as even Porro and Madison were deadlocked. It was a decision that could have been made by players or captains, but Radu Dragusin delivered the message' After the situation, Postecoglou marked the prisoner's number by hand, and after that, all the players withdrew and the prisoner handled the free kick, but it did not lead to a score.

Tottenham players may be greedy. At that time, the location and course was a shooting opportunity that occurred at a place where everyone could aim for at least one opportunity if they had a good kick regardless of their left or right feet. However, the problem is that if such problems continue to occur, they cannot be good for the Tottenham squad. Unless the player in charge of the free kick makes concessions, the set-piece tactic and tactical direction can be maintained only when the player in charge of the free kick takes care of it.

Spursweb of the UK said 'This disagreement may be a matter of the free-kick routine itself, or a disagreement about who should kick the free-kick. Either way, neither Porro nor Madison have done well in recent free kicks, so we have to take that into account.

The problem is that this is not the only problem for Tottenham at the moment, so Son Heung-min may not stop being angry this time. England's Hotspur HQ showed problems in Tottenham's statistics at the beginning of this season on the 5th (Korea time). Inefficiency is a problem in scoring situations. According to statistics, Tottenham dominated possession this season, created numerous opportunities, and was a wasteful team in converting opportunities into goals.

These statistics are all the more frustrating for striker Son Heung-min. Tottenham has more defenders and midfielders who try to shoot, such as prisoners and non-mars, than strikers in scoring opportunities, but this is not working much, and Brennan Johnson, who is on the right, often wastes opportunities. On the other hand, Son Heung-min has been playing as the league's best finisher since his debut in the EPL, but he has not even taken many opportunities due to his teammates' greed, so if Postecoglou fails to coordinate properly, Son Heung-min is expected to express his frustration during the game.

The sluggishness of his colleagues is also a problem. EPL legend Roy Keane pointed out the recent slump in vice-captain James Maddison. Keane has always had questions about him"He's been disappointed in the last few months. It is important to give him time and space and for Son Heung-min to run back. For that to happen, Tottenham must gain decent possession and use his intelligenceMadison's poor performance is linked to Tottenham's tactical problems.

In the end, much attention is expected to be paid to Postecoglou's decision and tactical changes, starting with the free-kick debate and Son Heung-min's anger. If it is not resolved quickly, it may not be easy to preserve Tottenham's overall performance of the season and even Postecoglou's position.

digh1229@sportschosun.com