Son Heung-min tells Tottenham board as stars left
‘frustrated’
Tottenham star Son Heung-min has endured a tough season so far.
Tottenham ace Son Heung-min has demanded that the club backs head coach Antonio Conte, with the players knowing they will “struggle” if the board does not give Conte enough backing. Spurs have hit a difficult run of form, and Conte’s defense-first methods have attracted criticism. And Son admits the players are frustrated because results are not going their way, Sam Smith writes for Express.
Conte had no choice but to offer a staunch defense of his playing style ahead of Spurs’ Champions League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt on Tuesday evening. But the north Londoners drew a blank in Germany – prompting further dissent from Conte’s critics.
However, Son has urged the Spurs hierarchy to keep backing Conte. The South Korea international, who has struggled for form for much of this season, insists his boss always “wants more, more, more.”
“It’s important – last season, nobody believed we would be here right now, nobody believed we’d be in the Champions League. The gaffer always wants more, more – and as a player, I want to follow his way, or you know what’s coming,” Son told journalists after the draw in Frankfurt.
Tottenham ace Son Heung-min wants the club to back Antonio Conte (Image GETTY IMAGES)
“If we don’t follow him, you know you’ll struggle. We have to follow – there is no option because he’s a winner, and I think we must sacrifice and do the hard things.”
Son’s only three goals this season came as part of a hat-trick against Leicester in September. The 29-year-old has told his teammates they must stick together through a challenging period.
Spurs were comfortably beaten 3-1 in their North London derby clash with Arsenal last weekend. They are second in a tight Champions League Group D, which Conte has conceded could be decided in the final match-week.
Son continued: “We’re human; we’re all emotional. Sometimes after the game, we’re all happy and sometimes angry or frustrated. The gaffer is more passionate – if we win, he’s the happiest guy in the world. But if the performance is not good and he’s not happy, he’s the first one blaming himself and wanting to improve.
“As a team, as a great group, we have to stick together in these tough games. I think these criticisms are because the expectations are higher. We need to do much better than we did, but I still believe we can.”
On his own poor displays, last season’s Premier League top scorer added: “Individually, I always want to do better. I’ve never been happy with my performance because I always want to do better things, amazing things, but it doesn’t always happen like that. I’m always watching [back] my games to see what I can do, what I can improve.
We’ve had two tough games this week, but this season is still long, so it’s not an issue. It’s all in your mind, and we need to move on, even with this tough game.”
