Better than Son: Ange's dazzling 9/10 "magician" is now Spurs' best player
da roleta： In a season that has felt like a real slog at times, last night was a moment of triumph for the Tottenham Hotspur faithful.
da gbg bet： Ange Postecoglou’s side went into the second leg of their Europa League tie against AZ Alkmaar a goal down and in real danger of not making the quarter-finals.
Fortunately, the team stepped up in a big way and, aside from a brief spell in the second half, were the far better side and could have easily put a couple more past the visitors.
Tottenham Hotspur vs AZ Alkmaar
Tottenham
Statistics
AZ Alkmaar
3
Goals
1
2.23
Expected Goals
1.19
60%
Possession
40%
3
Big Chances
3
17
Total Shots
10
5
Corners
2
529
Passes
352
All Stats via Sofascore
There were stand-out displays across the Lilywhites’ starting lineup, and while Son Heung-min had a game to remember, it was one of the manager’s signings that showed, when in full flow, he could be the club’s best player.
Son's dazzling display
It would be fair to say that, despite still being able to produce goal involvements on a pretty regular basis, this season has not been a particularly great one for Son.
It feels as if time is finally catching up with the 32-year-old winger, and in a lot of his appearances this term, he’s struggled to take on and beat opposing defenders, but not last night.
Instead, the South Korean superstar was a constant threat and barely allowed the Dutch side to breathe, as if he wasn’t taking them on himself with a mazy run, he was setting up his teammates with brilliant passes.
Football.london’s Alasdair Gold was equally impressed with the veteran winger, awarding him an 8/10 match rating on the night and praising him for putting in a true ‘captain’s performance’.
Unsurprisingly, the former Bayer Leverkusen ace’s statistics more than justify the praise, as in 94 minutes of action he amassed a combined expected goal plus assists figure of 0.47, provided one assist, took a shot on target, took 86 touches and played two key passes.
It was the sort of display that should remind people of just how good Son can be, although one of his teammates put in a similar performance and could now be described as the team’s best player.
Spurs' best player
There were a few other notable players from last night’s victory, including Lucas Bergvall, Wilson Odobert and Dominic Solanke, but we don’t think any of them have a real claim at being Spurs’ best player just yet.
Instead, and this may be controversial to some, we reckon James Maddison put in the sort of performance that should remind fans he could be their most technically gifted and impressive player.
The former Leicester City star is undoubtedly guilty of fading away in some games and across seasons as well, but when he’s on it, as he was yesterday, the Englishman is a simply sublime footballer.
For example, against AZ, he was practically unstoppable, was here, there, and everywhere, and then, thanks to a clever pass from Son, got his rewards with a goal in the second half.
Gold was just as impressed with the 28-year-old “magician,” as dubbed by Statman Dave, awarding him a 9/10 on the night and writing that it was ‘one of his best performances of the season.’
It might sound like hyperbole, but his statistics suggest otherwise, as in 77 minutes of action, he amassed an expected goal plus assists figure of 0.52, scored a goal, took 77 touches, completed 94% of his passes, played two key passes, took one shot on target, won two fouls and even made an interception.
On top of playing incredibly well against AZ, the Coventry-born star has also been more productive than he has perhaps gotten credit for this season, racking up a tally of 11 goals and seven assists in just 37 appearances.
Ultimately, yesterday was a brilliant day for Spurs, and while Son rolled back the years with his performance, we reckon Maddison put on a display that should have him in the conversation of the club’s best players.
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