ADDO’S VOW TO STOP THE SON SHINING
BY NEIL MOXLEY in Doha GHANA coach Otto Addo catapulted Heung-Min Son onto the big stage - now he’s come up with a plan to shove him off it.
The 47-year-old spotted the teenage South Korean’s talent while in charge of Hamburg’s academy and fast-tracked him into the first team.
And he needs to prevent Spurs’ striker from ending the Black Stars’ interest in the World Cup.
“Son’s a very good player,” he said, “he runs well between the lines and has a very good shot.
“He’s a very good character, a hard worker –
I really like his discipline – and he became so good because of that.
“You can’t expect too much from youth players, but I saw something in him.
“I pushed him towards our first-team squad at Hamburg and he’s had a great career.
“We’re trying to stop him as a team, closing gaps, picking up runs and sensing danger – that will be key.”
Leicester defender Daniel Amartey was on the bench as Son rattled in a hat-trick against the Foxes during a 6-2 drubbing earlier this season.
He will be able to take a closer look today as he’ll come face-to-face with the Taegeuk Warriors’ star man.
Amartey said: “I know him from the Premier
League. He’s very sharp. We have been listening to our coach talking about him. Do we have a plan to stop him? Yeah.”
Ghana, who have appointed former Brighton and Norwich boss Chris Hughton as an advisor and former Aston Villa and Middlesbrough midfielder George Boating to their support staff. believe they only lost out 3-2 to Portugal in controversial circumstances because key decisions went against them.
Addo added: “What have we learned? We were unlucky, sometimes you get away with it, sometimes not.
“We also had some chances. It’s part of the game.
“It’s always the same when you try something and it works, you’re a genius. If we lose, I’ll be dead. It’s a coach’s job.
“You have to be in it to understand.”
South Korea coach Paulo Bento said that Son coped well with the face mask he must wear after sustaining a fractured eye socket.
Bento said: “He’s adapting. He is still trying to feel comfortable with it. He needed to feel at ease.
“Son’s played for 90 minutes in it. What we need to do, as a team, is take advantage of his skills.
“Ghana have Premier League players. We need a better performance - we need to be up to this task.”