Son will shine again but for now, Conte must rotate 

For the last few years, Son Heung-min has been one of the most consistent performers in not only Tottenham Hotspur’s side but also the Premier League in general. Indeed, the South Korean capped off a remarkable four years with Spurs by winning the Premier League’s Golden Boot award at the end of the 2021/2022 season after netting 23 goals. Son shared the award with Mohamed Salah and in doing so, proved that he is one of the elite strikers in world football. 

This season, however, has seen a marked drop-off in goals from Son who, by the middle of September, has yet to find the back of the net in any competition. Tellingly, Son’s Premier League odds as far as the race for the Golden Boot goes price the South Korean at 40/1, despite the fact that the autumn leaves haven’t started to fall off the trees yet. Yes, it’s been an uncharacteristically slow start from Son which, up until Spurs flew to Lisbon for a Champions League Group D encounter with Sporting, hadn’t affected the team’s overall points return. 

That was no longer the case after Antonio Conte’s men conceded two late goals that condemned Spurs to their first loss in any competition since April 16. Despite this impressive run, there was a feeling that in recent weeks, Spurs had in fact been sailing close to the wind as far as goalscoring went. There was, after all, a sluggish performance up front that resulted in a narrow 1-0 win over Wolves, then there was a fair amount of toil in the final third at newly promoted Nottingham Forest, which was subsequently followed up by a narrow 2-1 win over Fulham. Yes, Spurs may have gotten over the line in all of those matches but in reality, better defences wouldn’t struggle to contain the threat that Conte’s attackers were providing.

That was proved in Portugal’s capital on a night when the partnership between Son and Harry Kane once again, looked alarmingly out of sync. Essentially, you feel that the point has come when Conte can no longer persist with Son if Spurs are to mount a legitimate title challenge. If he does, then points will be surrendered and ground lost whilst the club waits for the South Korean to find his rhythm.

Instead, Conte has two exciting options in Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison who are in good form and will help Spurs keep pace with the league’s front runners until Son rediscovers his goalscoring touch. Crucially, the pair also offer more than just goals when you consider how competitive they both are. Richarlison, in particular, has a knack for getting under the opposition’s skin which, as strange as it sounds, does seem to give Spurs a second wind as they feed off a highly charged environment. This phenomenon was evident against Forest when Spurs looked to be flagging under the late August sun, the Brazilian came on and changed the game with his typically cynical antics that a frustrated City Ground couldn’t come to terms with.

There was also an outstanding assist from Richarlison to Kane who nodded in the goal that confirmed the win.

It is this type of energy and gamesmanship that a team needs if they are to maintain a title push but right now, Spurs are missing that owing to Son’s lingering goal drought which has resulted in his usual verve fading away. 

Son, will undoubtedly, shine again, but for now, Conte must use the very capable options available to him to ensure that Spurs are ready to navigate the challenges that await them.