The Premier League secretariat selected 11 players who showed outstanding performances in the first half of this season by borrowing opinions from legendary Alan Shearer on its official website on the 9th (Korea Standard Time). Shearer, who usually praised Son, chose Son as the left striker.
Shearer admitted, “Son has such a special talent. If he catches the ball in front of the goal, I’m sure he will score a goal.” As Shearer said, Son has 12 goals and five assists in 20 first-half games, ranking high in scoring and scoring points. 안전 토토사이트
Son has entered the race to become the top scorer, boasting his best sense of goal in the first half. This is his second challenge to become the top scorer in the Premier League. Two seasons ago, he became the first Asian player to make history by lifting the golden boot of the Premier League. Son, who regained his decisive power then, has 12 goals, trailing only Mohamed Salah of Liverpool and Erling Holland of Manchester City with 14 goals. He tied for third with Dominic Solanke of Bournemouth, laying the groundwork for his pursuit of the latter half.
It was the first half of the year when Son made a triumphant comeback. After becoming the top scorer in the Premier League, Son suffered some ups and downs. Last season, his physical condition was the cause of his slump. In the first half, he suffered an orbital fracture, which affected his team to the finals of the FIFA World Cup in Qatar. In the second half, when he was about to take off his mask and survive, he suffered from a sports hernia.
Despite such unfavorable circumstances, Son displayed his potential to score 10 Premier League goals and became the first Asian player to score 100 Premier League goals. Nevertheless, he couldn’t hide his disappointment and struggled hard as he underwent a sports hernia surgery during the summer break. Having used this season as a venue for his recovery, Son was expected to make a comeback early on. “I look forward to the upcoming season. Last season, he wasn’t really him. I will prove him to everyone this season. I want to show it to my club as well as myself,” Son kept his promise.
Son has shifted his position to a striker under Angel Postecoglou this season. Son has successfully filled the gap between Harry Kane and Bayern Munich, who had been in charge of Tottenham’s forward line until last season. He recently moved back to his main position as a left winger, but he has also excelled as a striker, showing good performance in various situations.
He is dressed as a one-top but plays as a left wing forward, and Son’s consistency in scoring is excellent. He was responsible for Tottenham’s scoring position before joining the Clinsman team at the 2023 Asian Cup in Qatar. Notably, he played a significant role in the year-end boxing day when his schedule was tight. When he grabbed the ball that Shearer said, he showed off his potential as a striker.
Starting with one goal and one assist in the game against Manchester City in the 14th round, Son displayed one-man show with one goal and two assists in the 16th round against Newcastle United. He continued his strong performance in three consecutive games, including against Everton (one goal), against Brighton (one assist) and against Bournemouth (one goal). While spending a very hot December season, he was also named as the eight players nominated by the Premier League Secretariat for the Player of the Month.
His scoring ability is not the only factor that Son was listed in the “Best Eleven” in the first half of the year. Son’s real strength lies in his commitment to defense. At the end of last year, the CIES of the International Sports Research Center under FIFA listed the players who pressed forward more than anyone else in the five major European leagues (English Premier League, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A and French Ligue 1), and he ranked first.
This part was already highlighted by British media Sky Sports in mid-October. Although the index was early in the season, Son ranked first with a sprint distance of 1,314 meters during eight Premier League matches until mid-October. He proved how strong and energetic he was when pressed.
Sky Sports said, “Son’s athletic ability is still amazing. He has sprinted more than any other Premier League player this season to block the opponent team’s defenders,” adding, “He has been covering quite a distance. This has created Tottenham’s initial atmosphere.”
Son has been playing hard this season. Postecoglou prefers to increase the line and intercept the ball from the opponent team to finish quickly. Son is a one-top player who puts strong forward pressure on penetration into the goalpost. “Postecoglou prefers a striker to start behind the opponent team’s defense,” Sky Sports said on the reason why Son’s one-top card was successful. As Kane moves deep down, Son may be more natural under the current system.
Naturally, considering the best-elevised players in the first half of the year, Son is considered to be the first to play. Earlier, the British media outlet “Goal Dotcom” said Son has demonstrated his solid status as a PL legend for a long time. “He is the best player in Asia, and has scored more than 10 goals in all but the first of the nine seasons of the PL.” As the media said, Son has scored double-digit goals for eight consecutive seasons.
In the data released by global sports media “ESPN” for the best 11 Premier League (PL) in 2023, Son Heung-min was also named along with Holland, Salah, Martin degaard (Arnall), Declan Rice (Arnall), Rodri (Manchester City), Dan Burn (Newcastle United), Azri Konsa (Aston Villa), William Saliba (Arnall), Kyle Walker (Manchester City), and Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa).
He was also in charge of organizing the year 2023. According to the sports media “Score 90,” Son was ranked 30th among the 50 best players of the year. His name value was higher than those of Frenkie the Yong (46th), Joshua Kimmich (45th), Bayern Munich) and Virgil van Dijk (32nd).
With such evaluation accumulated, Son Heung-min is positioned as a Premier League legend. Shearer has always given a positive evaluation. Son Heung-min is not lacking in the eyes of Shearer, who has the most goals in the Premier League.
“Son Heung-min is amazing. He can be a perfect role model for young players watching the Premier League,” Son said in a Premier League production last month. “I have never seen him suffer or complain. As such, he has a great attitude and a professional mindset.” As an extension of that, he also chose Son as the best even in the first half of this year.
Tottenham also plays a significant role in star players who embroidered the Premier League with Son in the first half of the year. Destiny Udogi, who is in charge of left defense, has been chosen as the candidate. “It’s young but interesting. The speed is good, which helps Tottenham build a high defensive line. The team’s offense is also very effective,” Shearer said of Udogi.
Guglielmo Vicario was chosen as the goalie. As Tottenham’s starting goalie this season, Vicario has often made remarkable saves with his animal reflexes. Shearer also praised him, saying, “With Postecoglou’s risk-taking tactics, Vicario has to block many shots from his opponents. And he also has a lot of back play. But Vicario has been doing both well.”
With Tottenham producing three players, Aston Villa, which is currently in second place, also picked Jared Bowen, Ollie Watkins, and Douglas Luiz. The leading Liverpool also received high praise for Salah, Van Dyke, and Trent Alexander-Arnold. Finally, for Arsenal, Rice and Saliba were also named the best eleven in the first half.