Former England international Stuart Pearce is backing Heung Min-Son to find form again despite a ‘painful’ performance during Tottenham Hotspur’s recent Champions League victory over Marseille, speaking to talkSPORT (13 September, 9.30am).
For the first time in living memory, it seems that Son’s position in the Spurs XI is under serious threat. The South Korean superstar is in the midst of perhaps his worst run of form since joining Tottenham seven years ago, failing to score in any of his first seven games so far this term.
That, coupled with Richarlison’s immediate impact in Tottenham colours, means Son is far from an automatic pick ahead of Tuesday’s group-stage clash with Sporting Lisbon in the Portuguese capital.
Few saw this coming when the long-serving forward was adding the Premier League’s Golden Boot to his personal collection in May.
“Son is struggling a little bit. You could see it was painful on occasions,” Pearce says, referencing the 30-year-old’s latest underwhelming display against Marseille; a game in which Richarlison would score twice, strengthening the Brazilian’s argument for a starting berth at Son’s expense.
“Some of the things that come natural to him normally weren’t coming natural the other night. But he’ll play through that and he’ll improve, I’m sure.”
Will Son or Richarlison start for Tottenham Hotspur vs Sporting Lisbon?
Three more points at the Estadio Jose Alvalade will put Tottenham in control of Group D ahead of October’s double header with Europa League winners Eintracht Frankfurt.
“(Spurs) are very workmanlike” Pearce adds. “(They are) very difficult to break down, and they find a way to get results over the line.
“They’ve got a great opportunity to go to Sporting, get a result out the game and put themselves in charge of the group. At this early stage, with the amount of fixtures leading into the World Cup, that will be absolutely vital.
“The one thing Spurs have got is not just the ability in the front three but when Richarlison or (Dejan) Kulusevski come on, if they don’t start, they’ve got a chance to impact the game.
“What (Conte) does do is leave three players up the pitch and defend with the rest of them. What I didn’t think they did particularly well (against Marseille) is they didn’t get the wing backs up the pitch. He ended up putting Kulusevski at wing-back. And when he came on, he had a really big impact on the game.
“It’s a formation he’s not going to change. He isnt solely a defensive manager but he likes to have a solid, defensive foundation. His teams are very difficult to break down. But, on the other side of it, you’ve still got the England captain (Harry Kane) who can get you 20-30 goals.”
Much has been made of Antonio Conte’s less-than-impressive European record; perhaps the only blot on the Italian’s otherwise pristine copybook. Conte hasn’t even reached the quarter-finals since the 2012/13 campaign at Juventus, and suffered successive group-stage exits with Inter Milan.
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