Son Heung-min free-kick.
Tottenham winger Son Heung-min has proven that he should perhaps take all of the Lillywhites’ free-kicks next season after two stunning strikes with South Korea.
Son Heung-min has now scored two free-kick in a week for South Korea. 🤯
South Korea beat Chile 2-0 in a friendly on and unsurprisingly Tottenham winger Son Heung-min found himself on the scoresheet with a lovely last-minute free-kick.
Son scoring free kicks now?! pic.twitter.com/HkDuu15jkv
— Bants Sports Ooz (@bantssportsooz) June 6, 2022
Fresh off an impressive 2-0 friendly downing of Chile earlier in the week, the Taegeuk Warriors faced off against South American opposition once more, on this occasion Paraguay.
And, after a brace on the part of Newcastle United star Miguel Almiron guided Paraguay into a 2-0 lead, it was that man Son who kickstarted his country’s comeback efforts, en route to an eventual 2-2 stalemate.
Son Heung-min free-kick
The Premier League Golden Boot winner’s latest moment of magic was forthcoming 25 minutes from time, when Son bent a sumptuous free-kick over the Paraguayan wall and home:
#인캠 #직캠 또 들어갔다 #손흥민 프리킥ㄷㄷㄷ⚽#대한민국 #축구 #국가대표팀 #친선경기 #그_시간이_왔다 pic.twitter.com/krP1GTGk1X
— theKFA (@theKFA) June 10, 2022
Tottenham lack of free-kick goals.
Tottenham have lacked any sort of set-piece prowess since Christian Eriksen departed the club to join Italian side Inter Milan in January 2020 as Heung Min Son whipped freekick against Watford back in August of 2021 is currently Tottenham’s only Premier League freekick goal of the last two seasons.
Harry Kane has always be given the responsibility for free kicks since Eriksen’s departure but his only goal from a free-kick, came back in 2014 with a heavily-deflected goal at Aston Villa.
"Harry Kane and free-kicks is not a recipe that goes together massively successfully…"
What comes next?
Watch #MIDTOT LIVE on @BBCOne and @BBCiPlayer. https://t.co/cS57h0fiRJ #FACup pic.twitter.com/aqj0Q2Y6NP
— Match of the Day (@BBCMOTD) March 1, 2022
And ever since then, he has struggled from set-pieces, failing to find the back of the net from his next 53 attempts in the league, as per Opta.
53 – After scoring with his very first direct free-kick attempt in November 2014, @HKane has failed to score with any of his last 53 such shots in the top-flight. Since 2003-04, only Jay-Jay Okocha has taken as many without scoring more than once (54 each). Dreamers. #AskOptaJoe https://t.co/tf5rksaSPb
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 22, 2022
Heung-Min Son now has scored free-kicks in back-to-back games against Chile and Paraguay, staking his claim to become Spurs’ primary free-kick taker ahead of the likes of defender Eric Dier and striker Harry Kane.
Could Antonio Conte and Tottenham have a new set-piece threat on their hands ahead of next season?