Premier League
Tottenham Captain Son Heung-min Doubtful for Clash Against Crystal Palace
Tottenham Hotspur is expected to be without their captain for a second consecutive match, as forward Son Heung-min is likely to miss this weekend’s Premier League trip to Crystal Palace, according to manager Ange Postecoglou’s statement on Friday.
Son, who missed South Korea’s World Cup qualifiers this month following a hamstring injury, felt sore after scoring in last weekend’s win over West Ham United and was left out of Thursday’s Europa League clash with AZ Alkmaar.
“Sonny is still not right. He’s still not feeling 100%, so he won’t train today,” Postecoglou told a press conference ahead of Sunday’s match.
“He’s unlikely for the weekend and we’ll see how he is beyond that.”
Postecoglou, however, was happy with how midfielder James Maddison stepped up to lead the team as Spurs notched up a 1-0 win over the Dutch side.
“He’s a vice-captain, one of our leaders,” the manager said.
Spurs, currently sitting seventh in the league with 13 points from eight matches, have faced challenges in establishing a winning streak.
However, the 59-year-old manager, who joined last year, noted that the team is showing greater consistency compared to last season when they finished in fifth place.
“Results last year were great and played on a lot of enthusiasm and energy we had. But I knew that wasn’t sustainable, and pretty quickly, we found that out,” he added.
However, the manager cautioned against underestimating 18th-placed Palace, who are winless in the campaign with only three points.
“They’re going through a tough spell, but they’ve still got talent in that team,” he said.
“You get a feeling with them that, once they do turn it around, they could go on a run like they did last year.”
