SON HAILS SPURS’ STRENGTH
Tottenham forward praises team’s depth after downing Dortmund
IN-FORM forward Son Heung-min said Tottenham are showing they have the squad to cope without the injured Harry Kane and Dele Alli after a comprehensive 3-0 Champions League win over Borussia Dortmund on Wednesday.
Son started a brilliant secondhalf display in the last-16 first leg at Wembley by opening the scoring from Jan Vertonghen’s excellent cross, before Vertonghen and substitute Fernando Llorente put Mauricio Pochettino’s men on course for the last eight in the final seven minutes.
“Harry or Dele are very important for us but we have players who can come in and do well. We showed that, Fernando came on too and scored an important goal,” said Son, who hailed the impact of Vertonghen from an unfamiliar left wing-back role.
“Jan is technically unbelievable and can play in any position. I am very happy for him, he deserved it.
“One goal and an assist! The timing of the first goal was very important, the cross was unreal. I didn’t have to do anything, just touch the ball.”
Dortmund had the better of the game before half-time, but failed to make the most of their supremacy despite some dangerous runs from Jadon Sancho on his return to England.
“I don’t have any words for the second half. Tottenham were the better team,” said Sancho.
“The first half we played really well. In the second half we just dropped a bit and lost focus.”
Pochettino said: “Always when you play in this type of competition against a very good side like Dortmund it is difficult,” said the Argentine.
Insisting his players deserved all the praise after emerging from a gruelling schedule with their best result of the season, Pochettino said: “I want to congratulate my players one more time. It was a fantastic game, a massive effort.
“My players are heroes. They deserve a lot of praise for the effort they are doing this season. It is amazing.”
Although Tottenham still have to survive the second leg at Signal Iduna Park on March 5, they have a golden opportunity to reach the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2011.
“3-0 is a very good result but it is only the first leg. When you have a team in front of you like Dortmund you need to respect them,” Pochettino said.
It was an especially impressive success for Pochettino given he was without the injured Harry Kane, Dele Alli, Danny Rose and Ben Davies.
Pochettino devised a clever game-plan that eventually frustrated Dortmund and secured Tottenham’s first ever Champions League knockout-round win at home.
With Rose and Davies sidelined, Pochettino deployed centre-back Vertonghen out of position at left wing-back and switched to a three-man defence that stifled the Bundesliga leaders.
“It is my job to prepare the strategy. Maybe today everyone will say it was a fantastic decision. If it was a different result, people might say I’m the worst coach in the world,” he said.
“The first half was very difficult. We didn’t feel the confidence to play.
“We were a little bit lucky because when Son scored it was a massive boost to our confidence.”
Dortmund boss Lucien Favre bemoaned his team’s collapse, saying: “The start of the second half we gave it away.
“We should have got the ball forward rather than played from the back for their first goal. That was a gift.
“After that we played a bit too hastily. The pressing was intensive from Tottenham.”
Lucas Moura gave Tottenham an early spark when he latched onto Davinson Sanchez’s header and smashed a volley just wide from the edge of the area.
Juan Foyth gifted Dortmund their first sight of goal when he dwelt on the ball too long and was alertly dispossessed by Christian Pulisic.
But Lloris spared Foyth’s blushes as he blocked Pulisic’s shot at the near post.