Tottenham boss Antonio Conte believes Son Heung-min is at the “peak of his form” but can still get better and help fire Tottenham to Champions League qualification.
The Italian is hoping Son, who has scored six goals in the last three games, can boost Tottenham’s push for a top-four finish. (Getty Images)
The South Korean has been in dazzling form of late as Spurs have powered into the top four, with his hat-trick at Aston Villa last week making it six goals in three Premier League games.
💫 Following his hat-trick this weekend, Heung-Min Son now sits 10th on the list of all-time Spurs goalscorers.
Nice one, Sonny! 😁 pic.twitter.com/9xpTKEBIRq
— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) April 11, 2022
Son has been a key player ever since his move to the club back in 2015. With his six strikes in the last three league games, including a hat-trick at Aston Villa last time out, Conte has hailed his attacker but still expecting for more.
“But he can improve, and that is my expectation – that he gives us from now until the end of the season and big push and to try to finish his race in the best possible way. Don’t forget, one month ago I asked my best players, my more representative players, that now the team needed this type of player to take on the more important responsibilities. That role is also important for this.” He said..
“But for sure Sonny now is in a good moment of form and playing well. Don’t forget that maybe three weeks ago, during a press conference, somebody asked me to put him on the bench to give him a rest. But they knew that football changes, no? A month ago, people answered me by saying that I had to be crazy to think of giving a rest to Sonny and put him on the bench because we are talking about a really important player for us.”
Conte’s rallying cry
“Every record is important and it is important to score three goals but only if your team wins. In the last game, if Sonny had scored three goals and we had lost 4-3, the player cannot be happy. The player has to think that first of all I am playing for the team. We want to help Sonny to break every record and it was the same with Harry Kane. But they know very well that the team comes before the individual’s goal tally.
For sure we want to help him break every record and score more goals. But, our first target has to be a team target – to try to finish this race in the best possible way.”
“We have created a good idea of football, many solutions for different players, to attack with many players and to be unpredictable. Don’t forget that Harry does not love this situation if he doesn’t score. He makes assists and it is the same, we are talking about a fantastic player.”
“It is good to score but at the same time it is really good to make assists and he has an important vision of football and for us he is an important player. Harry is the first person to enjoy other players scoring, especially if it means we can win and get three points and the only final target for us is to try and reach the best possible position at the end of the season.”
Tottenham will hope to heap more pressure on rivals Arsenal when they entertain Brighton on Saturday as a win would take them six points clear of Arsenal who play later in the day.