Son Heung-min has emerged as one of Tottenham’s key players this season after forming a strong attacking partnership with Harry Kane.
The South Korean has been reliable when paired with the England captain, but when Kane got injured in the match against Liverpool, everyone was keen to see how he would fare on his own.
He has now played two matches without his partner in crime and has struggled to shine.
He was in poor form again when Chelsea beat Spurs 1-0 in their last league game, and he was blasted by Noel Whelan.
The pundit said Tottenham could barely hurt the Blues in the first half and for much of the time they had just Son upfront.
They started giving the Blues problems when the likes of Lucas Moura and Erik Lamela came on.
Asked where the issues lay at Spurs, Whelan told Football Insider assistant editor Russell Edge, “Well they lie with the fact that their talisman Harry Kane, who makes everything tick at that club and when he’s on the field, is out injured.
“Going forward, they looked poor, they looked weak. Heung-min Son looked alone, he looked out of his depth, he looked lost out there last night. It was only when Moura and Lamela came on they looked a little bit sharper up front.
“The team looked lacklustre, no intent in the first half – it wasn’t an outstanding Chelsea performance it was a very disciplined performance but they didn’t ask any questions in the first half and hardly any in the second half. They looked flat.
“I think a lot of that is down to Harry Kane and if that is the case, they’ve got a real issue there because you need more leaders and there were no leaders out there last night.”
The good news is that Kane will not be out for long. The earlier the striker returns, the better for the club.
Not sure why Vinicus would not start. It is not hia fault the service was poor.
Maybe it has something to do with the way we play as in 80mins in our own half.
He’s always been a hot or cold player.
With Kane you know every performance will be at least a 7 or 8 out of 10.
Son one in three games he’s totally invisible – 4 or 5 out of 10.
To be fair that’s the way with winger types – why you need a great bench. I’ve seen Salah and Sterling put in some totally anonymous showings this season etc – but you still wouldn’t think ‘drop/sell him’. Send on a sub, hope they’re flying again the next week.
Noel Whelan can bite me. An extremely average journeyman footballer who is just as mediocre as a “pundit” if not worse. If you get no service, you won’t be able to affect play. It’s not rocket science.
Son has been off his game for some time. Whatever is wrong, was wrong before Kane’s injury.