The favourite Son
NEWCASTLE V SPURS
ANGE POSTECOGLOU is convinced Heung-min Son will go down as a Premier League legend.
Spurs skipper Son (31) is already a member of the 100 Club with 118 goals and counting in the top flight.
And he kicks off at Newcastle today a single assist away from joining an even more elite band of superstars.
Setting up a teammate at
St James’
Park would see the South Korean rack up double figures for both goals and assists in at least three different Premier League campaigns.
Only Wayne Rooney, Mo Salah, Frank Lampard, Eric Cantona and Didier Drogba have done that.
Numbers
Spurs boss Postecoglou was not surprised. He said: “He’s a superstar, mate. He is world-class.
“To keep producing those numbers I would put him right up there.
“I have no doubt he will go down as one of the greats of the Premier League when he’s done.” However, the Australian knows that not everyone outside Spurs agrees with that.
Rooney, Salah, Lampard, Cantona and Drogba are all Premier League winners — and no Spurs players has collected even a cup medal since 2008.
Postecoglou said: “Maybe because of that — and maybe if he played for another national team. Whatever he does for his national team gets diminished because it’s not the Euros or the World Cup qualifiers.
“He has had an unbelievable national career, carrying his nation for a very long time. But that’s OK. When it is all done and dusted his accomplishments and the way he has gone about it will get him the recognition he deserves.”
This lunchtime’s clash will bring back a host of bad memories for Son and many of his team-mates.
Last April, Newcastle raced into a fivegoal lead in this fixture after just 21 minutes and ended up winning 6-1.
Postecoglou revealed he hadn’t watched a single second of that footage to learn where Spurs had gone wrong.
He said: “I haven’t, because there’s no reason to. It’s a different set of circumstances, different manager. I’m really reticent to judge.”
Newcastle have seven points out of nine recently, reviving their European prospects after they were written off in the wake of their FA Cup defeat at Manchester City.
Tougher
“We knew that result would be perceived negatively, with a lot of people saying Newcastle’s season is done,” said manager Eddie Howe.
“But we certainly didn’t think that and knew we could stil have a part to play in terms of places for Europe.”
Howe expects a tougher game than last year’s demolition of Spurs, saying: “Hopefully, it will be the same,” he added. “It was one of those special days when it all clicked.
“But I would take any win this time. “Spurs have changed their philosophy and their style of play and now have goals from all over the pitch rather than the one main source.”