Why Son, not Kane, is now Tottenham's most important forward
It was a well delivered corner than won the North London Derby for Tottenham. Son Heung-Min whipped the ball in from the left and found the head of Toby Alderweireld as Spurs beat their fierce rivals Arsenal. While this season's North London Derby at Spurs wasn't quite the glamour tie shootout for a top-four finish we have seen in recent seasons, it's still a headline-grabbing clash that stands out the most for both sets of fans when the fixture list is announced.
On this occasion, it was Spurs who earned the bragging rights, putting an end to Arsenal's unbeaten run and finishing a fairly despondent week on a high for the home side. The fixture also saw Son reach a landmark achievement, becoming the second player to register double figures for both goals and assists in the Premier League season, and just the third player to reach the milestone for Spurs since WhoScored started collecting Opta data from 2009/10 onwards. Kevin De Bruyne first achieved the feat when he bagged his 10th league goal of the campaign in Manchester City's 2-1 loss at Chelsea last month.
Having struck midway through the first half before his assist late on for Alderweireld, Son now has 10 goals and 10 assists in the Premier League this season. It's quite the accomplishment given Spurs' season of uncertainty. Changing manager at any time can prove disruptive, yet chairman Daniel Levy pulled the trigger on Mauricio Pochettino in the November international break and hired Jose Moruinho as his replacement. Two managers with a differing ethos has proven problematic for the 2019 Champions League runners' up, yet a consistent has been, well, Son's consistency.
Of the 19 wins Spurs have secured this season, only three have come without Son starting. Two of those were against relegation threatened pair Aston Villa on the opening weekend of the campaign and the Boxing Day victory over Brighton, while the other was in the 2-1 FA Cup win over Championship outfit Middlesbrough, and all at the Tottenham Hostpur Stadium, where home advantage played a key role.
There's no denying that Spurs have become are far less entertaining side since Mourinho took over the reins at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. They look to shut up shop and hit opponents on the counter through long balls down the flanks in behind opposition full-backs. If that fails, then it's the direct route to maximise the height and aerial prowess of Harry Kane and Serge Aurier.
Yet when Son gets the ball to feet out wide or through the middle, there is the excitement that comes from any skillful player in possession. 2.3 successful dribbles per 90 is the third best of all Tottenham players this season, while 1.6 key passes per 90 ranks second at the club. 3.1 shots per 90 is more than any other player for Mourinho's side. Clearly, Son has the means to ghost past an opponent with ease and the end product that means his dribbles don't go to waste and it's these key components that means Spurs remain in the hunt for a European finish, albeit qualification to the Europa League rather than the Champions League supremo Levy craves.
An issue after Sunday's win now, though, is whether or not Son is Spurs' most crucial attacking player. Given his selflessness in the final third coupled with his commendable goal and assist return, it is feasible to suggest that he has leapfrogged Harry Kane to the tag. Coming into the final stretch in this delayed Premier League season, Son (7.27) is Spurs' top rated player, with Kane (7.23) following in second.
The South Korean star is having a direct hand in a goal every 111.5 minutes, where his Spurs teammate does so every 154.7 minutes. Not only that, but in Kane's absence, Son stepped up to the plate with aplomb. Indeed, he bagged decisive goals in Premier League wins over Aston Villa and Norwich, the FA Cup triumph over Southampton, and the late goal to confirm victory over Manchester City back in February, games Kane missed through a hamstring injury sustained in the 1-0 loss at Southampton on New Year's Day.
By comparison to Son, Kane averages one successful dribble per 90 and while this isn't a strong trait to the latter's game, that the 26-year-old makes one key pass per 90 is a concern, particularly as Kane looks to drop deeper in search of possession in this current Spurs setup. As the link up man on the frontline, you'd expect more from a creative viewpoint from Kane.
In terms of bringing others into play, Kane also falls below Son. Only Paulo Gazzaniga (59.4%) has a lower pass success rate than Kane (66.2%) of all Tottenham players in the Premier League this season, with that falling well below Son (85.3%). In routinely dropping towards the midfield to receive possession from teammates, Kane should be able to pick out a Spurs player with greater regularity and, in dropping deeper in search of the ball, he is potentially more a hindrance than a help in their buildup play.
That, in turn, may also be due to a change in Kane's role under Mourinho, with his 2.7 aerial duels won per 90 his highest in a Premier League season in a Spurs shirt and, if the ball doesn't fall to a teammate, then this will have a negative impact on his pass success rate, which is very much the case for other target men in England's top tier this term. However, as Spurs' leading frontman, you'd still expect Kane to operate effectivly in the opposition penalty box, but even here, he falls short of Son.
Indeed, Son has had more touches in the opposition box (150) than Kane (115) in the Premier League this season and while this may be due to the former's trickery compared to the latter, that they have scored the same number of goals in the penalty area (10) in England's top tier this term should be slightly worrying. And given Son's versatility on the frontline compared to Kane's, it's conceivable that the South Korea international is the more important forward.
There has been ample interest in Kane's services in recent months and were Spurs to miss out on European football next season, that interest will only increase significantly. Yet given the north London side's performances without Kane and with Son excelling during his time on the sidelines, losing the latter would be a bigger blow.
