Antonio Conte backs Son Heung-min despite recent struggle

Antonio Conte acknowledges Son Heung-min is struggling following an injury in November but insists the Korean midfielder is too important to the squad to start doubting.

Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte, left, puts his arm around Son Heung-Min after a Premier League match against Bournemouth at Vitality Stadium in Bournemouth on Oct. 29, 2022. [AFP/YONHAP]

Antonio Conte acknowledges Son Heung-min is struggling following an injury in November but insists the Korean midfielder is too important to the squad to start doubting.

“Son for sure is trying to find the best form,” Tottenham Hotspur manager Conte said in a press conference Tuesday ahead of a Premier League clash with Crystal Palace on Wednesday. “After the injury he had against Marseille, he struggle a bit and also in the World Cup he didn't score.

“But we are talking about a player that if we put him in this discussion, we are in trouble because Sonny and [Harry] Kane are the two most important players with Hugo Lloris. If we start to put into discussion them or to have doubts about them, then I think we are really in trouble.”

Son’s recent injury — an orbital fracture requiring surgery in November — is not the only concern with his form this season. Despite winning the 2021-22 Premier League Golden Boot with 23 goals, Son has scored just three times this season, all three goals coming during a game against Leicester on Sept. 17.

He has two assists and has otherwise been almost completely shut down since then.

Earlier in the season Son’s long dry spell saw him spend a bit more time on the bench that he has in recent years, although that hasn’t been a concern so far since the season resumed with both Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison out of action.

“If you have four players, the strikers who are usually the creative players, and two are injured, we are in trouble,” Conte acknowledged on Tuesday.

Son isn’t the only of Conte’s key players with concerning form after the World Cup. Regular captain Lloris, who made it as far as the final in Qatar, made a key mistake during a 2-0 loss to Aston Villa on Sunday that led to the first goal.

Conte maintains that concerns about both Lloris and Son are misplaced, saying highs and lows are an inevitable part of every season.

“For sure a team like us and we need in every game, injuries or not injuries, the most important players to give their best,” Conte said, “but you know across a season in 60 games that you can't play every game at the peak of your form and make a difference. This is normal. This is normal.

“But for sure we are talking about three players in Sonny, Kane and Hugo who can make the difference. Our expectations are always very high for them. I think their commitment, their will, their desire is always the same. They know the role they have in the squad.”

Spurs will take on Crystal Palace on the road in south London on Wednesday evening, or at 5 a.m. on Thursday morning in Korea.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]