In Focus: Struggling Son must sharpen up in front of goal

Heung-Min Son has failed to get off the mark for Tottenham despite starting all six Premier League games this campaign.

The South Korean was instrumental in helping Spurs secure Champions League qualification last term, but his poor start to the new season has put his spot in Antonio Conte's first-choice XI at risk.

With £60million man Richarlison putting in some fine cameos for the North London club, Son will need to sharpen up in front of goal quickly.

Spurs kick off their European campaign against Marseille tonight before travelling to the Etihad to face Premier League champions Manchester City on Saturday.

With Son struggling for form, we take a closer look at the 30-year-old and why he has been misfiring this season.

Antonio's faith 

Tottenham boss Conte is not short of options in attack this year.

The likes of Dejan Kulusevski, Richarlison, Bryan Gil and Lucas Moura can all slot into any position across Spurs' front three, supporting talismanic No10 Harry Kane.

But despite the lack of end product from Son, the Italian head coach has opted to stick with the forward, in the hope that he will find his shooting boots sooner rather than later.

Following the 2-0 win at Nottingham Forest, Conte spoke about the former Bayer Leverkusen star and the trust he has in him.

He said: "In this moment maybe he's suffering a lot that he's not scoring. But he has to continue in this way and trust himself because in every game he has the opportunity, the chance to score and then he has to be calm.

"We trust him and the team-mates. You know very well the importance of this player with Harry Kane and for sure he's a bit disappointed that he's not scoring but no problem.

"For me, Sonny will always be a nut in my team, in my ambition of football."

Conte is renowned for being one of the best coaches in Europe and his glowing review suggests that it is not a case of if Son scores, but when.

When it rains, it pours

Many arguments have been made to suggest that Son is a purple patch player.

However, Spurs' No7 is the only player across Europe to have scored 10 or more goals and provide six or more assists in every domestic season since 2016-17.

Usually, Son races out of the blocks in the Premier League — in the last campaign, he had already scored three times by the end of Matchday 6.

There is a noticeable pattern in Son's goalscoring form. He often scores in consecutive games, suggesting his confidence inflates when he finds the first goal.

In the 2021-22 season, he scored in four consecutive games once, three consecutive games twice and two consecutive games once. 

His longest run without a goal in last season's domestic campaign was four games, which does highlight his less than lethal finishing this year.

Regardless, Conte seems set on playing Son until he does score because he knows that when he gets one, more will follow.

Healthy competition

Spurs' transfer policy in recent years has been to prioritise youth — this was seen with the recruitment of Gil, Ryan Sessegnon, Emerson Royal and Pape Matar Sarr.

As such, Son has never had any real competition for his place in the starting XI.

But with the arrival of Conte last season, that strategy changed and now no one is irreplaceable in the Spurs squad.

Richarlison's transfer from Everton has helped Spurs mount an undefeated start to the domestic season, but many of his appearances have been off the bench, such is the reputation of the formidable front three in North London.

The Brazilian has provided two assists so far, but his pressing and intensity is what has caught the eye at Tottenham.

Richarlison replaced Kulusevski in the win over Fulham, but the Swede's form has been impressive alongside England captain Kane.

Therefore, Son seems to be the current outlier in what is regarded as one of the best attacks in Europe.

The competition for places should only motivate the South Korean to up his game, but if it does not, he can be replaced.

Busy schedules

Son played in 45 matches for Spurs last season, plus seven matches for his national team.

It is a lot of football for the energetic forward to play and we are seeing the fatiguing effects in the new campaign.

Bukayo Saka is a player in a similar mould to Son who has also struggled for form recently. Before his goal against Manchester United, he had not scored from open play since March.

The winger played an identical number of games for Arsenal and England last season to that of Son.

Players are often playing twice a week and will be from now until the World Cup in November — this is something that is undoubtedly going to effect their high standards.

Tiredness may be a cause for Son's misfires at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, but football is a ruthless game.

If he cannot find his shooting boots soon, Conte may have no choice but to reconsider who should feature in his strongest XI.