• Dear Guest, Please note that adult content is not permitted on this forum. We have had our Google ads disabled at times due to some posts that were found from some time ago. Please do not post adult content and if you see any already on the forum, please report the post so that we can deal with it. Adult content is allowed in the glory hole - you will have to request permission to access it. Thanks, scara

Son Heung-Min

Spur of the moment said:
No, I fear it may be who is confused my friend. Maybe go back and re-read it. You made your comment in relation to Yiddo's defence of Dier and Davies. Yet his incessant criticisms of our top two strikers over the past few weeks that have been tedious to say the least.

Given your views on posters who are supposedly reluctant to give credit to players they've previously criticised I'd have thought Yiddo would be among the last you'd spring to the defence of.

But, hey ho.
Click to expand...

I must have been guilty of misreading your post, maybe you could have explained your thoughts a bit clearer though.

As for my comments about Dier and Davies, i stand by what i said.
 
Yiddo said:
So these games that Davies cost us, Son didn’t do the same when he had 1 of his brick games and we lost? When we couldn’t even get a shot on target? This Post is exactly my point.
Click to expand...

This is going round in circles, I myself am guilty of biting but I’ll bow out by saying that it’s pretty clear we still need somewhat of a rebuild to get back to where we want to be, but Kane and Son would be right at the bottom of the list of players we need to replace.
 
Bullet said:
He wasn't a regular was he? Do you mean Ronny Johnsen?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronnie_Wallwork
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ronny_Johnsen
Click to expand...

Wallwork isn't the best example, I agree - although he did get 12 league appearances when Manure won the title in 2000/01. Mostly subs though.

Johnsen started 11 PL games, Luke Chadwick got a total of 16 appearances while the legendary Wes Brown started 25 PL games that season. Wouldn't categorise any of these as world class TBH. :D
 
harr1984 said:
It would be if those stats were for PL goals rather than all competitions.

This season will be the first season he hits 20 league goals, let’s hope he continues his upward trajectory….
Click to expand...

World class is such a subjective term as everyone has their own definition of it, I don’t have the stats in front of me, but I’m sure the players in the PL who have scored more than him the last few seasons play for either City or Liverpool. Literally only a handful of players. I’d say he has become world class over the last 2 seasons as his overall game is more rounded, he gets more assists and creates more than he used to. That doesn’t mean he plays well absolutely every game because no one does. Kane for example is world class, but his performances in one-off finals and semi finals have left a lot to be desired.
 
Jurgen the German said:
World class is such a subjective term as everyone has their own definition of it, I don’t have the stats in front of me, but I’m sure the players in the PL who have scored more than him the last few seasons play for either City or Liverpool. Literally only a handful of players. I’d say he has become world class over the last 2 seasons as his overall game is more rounded, he gets more assists and creates more than he used to. That doesn’t mean he plays well absolutely every game because no one does. Kane for example is world class, but his performances in one-off finals and semi finals have left a lot to be desired.
Click to expand...
It's back to the same old argument about what "world class" means. Does it mean the best in the world? Or being part of the world's best team? I choose to define it as a player who would walk into the first XI of the world's top dozen or so clubs. Liverpool, Emirates Marketing Project, Barcelona, Real, PSG and Bayern for sure, plus the likes of Atletico, Juve, maybe Dortmund.

But there are always exceptions -- for example, when Verts and Alderweireld were at the top of their game, only a world class CB would have displaced them. Were Spurs a world class team? Nope, but we had a world class CB partnership. On the other hand, I'm sure every team I've mentioned has a position that could do with upgrading. But the general gist is "If player X became available, would the world's best clubs be interested?" In the case of Son, then yes, definitely. Probably not Liverpool with their attacking line-up, but most of the rest would take him in a heartbeat.
 
Jurgen the German said:
I’d say he has become world class over the last 2 seasons as his overall game is more rounded, he gets more assists and creates more than he used to.
Click to expand...

I've been doing a bit of analysis on PL combined goals and assists stats between Salah and Son over the past two seasons.

On the face of it, you have to say Salah's stats are the more impressive. His combined total of 62 PL goals and assists (44 goals + 18 assists) from 69 appearances over the two seasons would seem to put Son's 54 total (36 goals + 18 assists) from 68 games very much in the shade.

But Salah's PL goals total includes no less than 11 penalties, whereas Son has zero because of course he hasn't taken any over the same period. It's just Son's luck that Kane takes our penalties and virtually never misses whilst because he plays for Liverpool Salah gets many opportunities to take kicks from the spot.

Once you discount penalties, then the pendulum surely swings dramatically back in Son's favour, because Salah's total sans penalties reduces to 51 combined goals and assisits from 69 PL appearances compared with Son's 54 from 68.

So if on the strength of his PL stats Salah is rated world class, this at the very least begs the question, how should we rate Son?
 
What makes Son world class for me is his exceptional control of the ball at high speed allied to his outstanding shot accuracy with both feet. Indeed, when it comes to shot accuracy, Son is way ahead of the rest, as is borne out by this BBC list of current top strikers' PL shot accuracy stats for 2021/22
.

Shot accuracy % / player / (goals scored)

70% - Son (19)
59% - De Bruyne (11)
59% - Salah (22)
58% - Mane (14)
58% - Zaha (12)
57% - Ronaldo (18)
55% - Saka (11)
54% - Kane (13)
51% - Mahrez (11)
50% - Toney (12)
49% - Jota (15)

Son also tops the BBC percentage charts for 'Goal Conversion' (meaning presumably the number of chances each player converts into goals).

But of course, even world class players have their weaknesses. Long-standing fans will remember only too well how Glenn Hoddle got pilloried left, right and centre for his supposedly poor work-rate, yet few would deny that GHod was world class.

One of Son's biggest weaknesses is perceived to be his vulnerability in possession. All too often he seems to yield possession way too cheaply. But I would argue that in many if not most instances, this is because he is actually given little or no chance. The moment he receives the ball he will be surrounded by two, three, or more opponents all hell bent on unloading him at any cost. Coaches know that once he is allowed a bit of space he can be lethal, therefore they doubtless instruct their players to either hound him down or, failing that, hack him down rather than let him get away from them.

It's why I believe we ought cut him a bit more slack than he is usually allowed.

The fact is that in Son we have one VERY special player, so for me it's just sad that some fans seem unwilling to give him full credit.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back