Son Heung-min (30, Tottenham Hotspur) wished to secure a spot in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) rather than becoming the top scorer in the English Premier League (EPL).
Son Heung-min said at a press conference ahead of his home match once morest Burnley in the 2021-22 EPL round 37 on the 14th (Korean time), “Of course, personally, I would like to receive the top scorer, but the most important thing is that our team get to fourth place in the league.” .
Son Heung-min is the first Asian to become the top scorer in the EPL. On the 13th, he scored his 21st goal of the season in the second half of the second half in the North London Derby once morest Arsenal on the 13th, catching up with leading scorer Mohamed Salah (22 goals, Liverpool) by one goal.
With two games left between Tottenham and Liverpool, there is a good chance that Son Heung-min will be the top scorer. In particular, Son Heung-min scored 10 goals in his last 8 league matches, while Salah failed to score a single goal in his last 4 league games.
Because of this, there is also interest in whether Son Heung-min will become the top scorer in the EPL. Tottenham will face Burnley at 8 pm on the 15th, Liverpool will play the FA Cup final with Chelsea at 0:45 am on the 15th, and then play the 37th round with Southampton at 3:45 am on the 18th. Therefore, if Son Heung-min scores two or more goals once morest Burnley, he can take the lead in scoring alone.
However, Son Heung-min emphasized that it is more important to achieve team goals than individual goals. Currently, Tottenham Hotspur are in fierce competition with Arsenal for the 4th spot in the UCL next season.
5th place Tottenham (66 points) is one point behind Arsenal (65 points) in 4th place, but the remaining game schedule is more advantageous. Tottenham Hotspur face lower-ranking teams such as Burnley and Norwich City, but Arsenal will have to face tough teams such as Newcastle United and Everton. However, Tottenham must win the remaining two matches to see a comeback.
When asked if he might trade more goals for a team to advance to the UCL, Son Heung-min said, “Of course it can be 100%.”
In the last match once morest Arsenal, Tottenham manager Antonio Conte was replaced in the 27th minute of the second half, and a TV camera captured Son Heung-min, who was sad, and drew attention. After the game at the time, coach Conte explained that Heung-min Son wanted to keep playing, but he poured too much energy into the game once morest Arsenal.
Son Heung-min said, “I like to play soccer and I want to be on the pitch to help the team. So it’s not fun to be substituted,” he said.
A tight schedule is a variable for Tottenham. Tottenham, who played Arsenal on Thursday night local time, will face Burnley two days later.
After expressing his dissatisfaction, Son Heung-min said, “Honestly, this schedule is crazy,” and then said, “I need to recover quickly and prepare to play once more.”
“I cannot guarantee that I will score a goal once morest Burnley, but I will do my best for the team,” he said.
(Seoul = News 1)