Tottenham Hotspur forward Son Heung-Min had had a mediocre start to the season so far and the South Korean international is yet to find the back of the net.
The 30-year-old is widely regarded as one of the best players in the Premier League but he has not been able to hit top form just yet.
The Tottenham star managed to score 24 goals across all competitions last season and his goal drought has been a major concern for the fans so far this season.
Former Premier League footballer Dean Saunders believes that Son’s attacking game has been hampered by Antonio Conte’s tactics this season.
The Italian employs a demanding set-up wherein attackers are urged to work hard on the defensive side of their game as well. Therefore, Son has not been able to express himself freely during the attack.
Saunders also revealed that although Conte’s system seems to have impacted the player on an individual level, it will Tottenham a more formidable side overall and the club could reap the benefits of such a system in the long run.
He told talkSPORT: “I think Son is suffering at the moment for Spurs, and it is a similar thing that happened when I was at Blackburn.
“We had Damian Duff, he played on the left and scored 15 goals, and went to Chelsea under Jose Mourinho, and he had him working back helping Ashley Cole all afternoon.
“He ended up not getting as many goals, but he did have lots more trophies in his cabinet, and lots more money in the bank.
“You might just have to say to Son, look, you can’t play the way you used to, where you were floating on the halfway line when we are defending, and we get the ball to you and you’re off.
“You have to run back, we are a new Spurs team, we are not the flimsy Spurs team that would win one game, and then get beat in another.”
The 30-year-old has failed to score in eight appearances across all competitions so far and he will be desperate to get on the scoresheet soon. It will be interesting to see whether the South Korean international can regain his sharpness in front of the goal and help Tottenham challenge for the major trophies.
I’ve always found it odd that the Italian brand of football is very risk averse and defensive, considering Italy is such a messed up country with nearly nothing to lose. Maybe someone can explain this to a dumb American like me?
It didn’t affect him last season….same tactics.
Sonny is in dire form, that is the long and short of it.
Overtraining seems Sonny’s issue.
When he has time on shots (in the past), he’s seemingly missed chances he shouldn’t have.
When he has time to think he overthinks.
He will bang one in and he will go on a scoring run.