For somebody with such confidence in his ability, it is rare to find such humility. What has elevated Son in the eyes of the Spurs support and many neutrals is his respectful nature, energy and positivity, and that smile. I’ve improved an amazing amount under him.” As I said before, you have to have the luck to meet a great manager. The gaffer made the choice and it was perfect for me – some hard training at Spurs and a bit of rest. “Mid-November was 100% a big period for me,” Son says. If you’re a good footballer but don’t know how to respect others, you’re nobody Son Heung-min It has all served to put him in the conversation for the player of the season awards. One statistic from Opta shows Son has scored with 19.3% of his Premier League shots this season, making him more clinical than he has ever been in the competition. His performances have been key to the push for a top-four finish and the run to the Champions League quarter-finals. Since then he has scored 14 times in 23 appearances for Spurs, giving him 16 for the season. Pochettino was worried Son faced mental and physical burnout. Son’s fortunes at Spurs have soared since Mauricio Pochettino held him back from the mid-November international programme in favour of club training and, crucially, no travelling. Son would win the Asian Games as an overage wildcard player with the South Korea Under-23s at the beginning of the season – earning him an exemption from 21 months of military service – but in January, his team lost unexpectedly in the quarter-finals of the Asian Cup to Qatar. In Korean society, a father’s word tends to be law. Scary, as well.” Yet the tone is affectionate. It would be wrong to do so – the reality is Son has nothing but admiration and respect for him. It is tempting to pigeonhole Son’s father as a remorseless disciplinarian, and wonder whether his drive affected the relationship between the pair. But when you think about it now, this was the right way.” The players understood, because I was his son and, yeah, it was tough. But as soon as I dropped it, he made us all start over from the beginning. When someone dropped the ball, my father would not say anything. The programme was for us all to keep the balls up for 40 minutes. “When I was 10 or 12, he came in to coach my school team and we were training, 15 or 20 players. Son recounts another tale that features his father and keepy-uppy punishments. That, and his extraordinary levels of focus and dedication. But what shines through and has underpinned his rise, to the point where he can be considered as the pre-eminent player in Asia, is his readiness to respond to the demands of his father. “As soon as I could walk, I was kicking a ball,” he says. The story advertises several things – Son’s natural talent, among them. We have a call three time a day, also in the evenings so absolutely I feel Antonio like he is here.Wait, what? Son did not let the ball hit the ground? In four hours? As a 10-year-old? “No,” he says. "It is not the moment but he is very close because I feel also his energy. Stellini also stated in his press conference that Conte is unlikely to return to the dugout for the Chelsea game but he is edging ever closer to his comeback. If we have one player 100 per cent and another one 70 per cent, we have to choose the 100 per cent player." We need every player 100 per cent, it will be tough and we need every player 100 per cent. "In the next period we have four games in ten days and every game will be tough. Sometimes player that has a problem needs time to recover and be well prepared for the next period. "Richy had recovered 100 per cent, Son had a problem that he bring with him for a bit of time. "The decision was about the condition of the players," said Stellini. READ MORE: Djed Spence and Joe Rodon suffer major blow after Rennes setback as Tottenham ace nears return Speaking in his pre-match press conference ahead of the London derby, Stellini admitted that the decision to bench the attacker was down to conditioning as they look to get Tottenham's No.7 in the best possible position ahead of a busy period for the team. His goal against West Ham does give Antonio Conte and Stellini something to think about ahead of this weekend's game against Chelsea, with Richarlison possibly the man to make way for Son if the Italian duo elect to bring him back in from the off. It was the second time that the 30-year-old had come off the bench this term to have a major impact on proceedings after previously netting a hat-trick against Leicester City back in October. Not enjoying the best of seasons with goals few and far between, the South Korean was introduced in the 68th minute and managed to wrap up all three points four minutes later with the second goal in their 2-0 win. Cristian Stellini has admitted that Son Heung-min was benched against West Ham last Sunday due to "a problem that he's had for a bit of time".
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