Son Heung-min, who scored last night’s opening goal with an amazing solo effort, has really settled into his third season in the Premier League … as well as Mauricio Pochettino’s Spurs side.
Son’s form has no doubt been the underlying reason for the Argentinian manager’s faith in him. Often referred to as an unsung hero of the Spurs squad, the EA SPORTS data highlights just how much of an impact he has made this year. He has scored the 2nd most goals for the lilywhites (having netted 6 times), produced the 3rd most assists of any player (with 3) and has created the 4th most chances for the team (24).
Son has made a name for himself by impacting action in the opponent’s final 1/3 and this is definitely reflected in his data. He currently sits in 2nd place within the Tottenham squad for touches in the opposition box (87 touches) and alongside Harry Kane, the mercurial forward has successfully completed the most dribbles of any Spurs player (27 over the 2017/18 season).
Son has amassed 1,213 mins of playing time in the 2017/18 season, he is the 6th most featured outfield player for the North London side. While Betting in China has already suspended the odds for the South Korean to amass that number by a heavy notch. His on-pitch time has only been beaten by club talismans Vertonghen, Eriksen, Dier, Kane and Alli (and of course Hugo Lloris).
EA SPORTS data reveals that it’s the South Korean that has had the better season in front of goal, despite playing less minutes (Son – 1463 / Sanchez – 1507 minutes). Son has hit the back of the net eight times compared to the Chileans return of seven. Son also has a higher shooting accuracy (37.78%) and shots-to-goals ratio (16.33%) than Sanchez.
When it comes to setting up their team mates, it is again Son that wins the battle, with four assists compared to Sanchez’s three. But the tide might turn in the second half of the season. Sanchez has created almost double the amount of chances for teammates (51) compared to Son (27), so if he keeps that up, and the United players can put some of those chances away, the Chilean stands a chance of improving his figures greatly. Son has a superior pass success rate, with an impressive 85.83% but it’s Sanchez who wins the dribbling stakes, completing 66.67% of attempted dribbles, compared to Son who has completed 56.52%.
Please see the tables below for the breakdown of Son’s impressive statistics this season;
Spurs Goals in 2017/18
| Player | Goals |
| Harry Kane | 18 |
| Son Heung-Min | 6 |
| Dele Alli | 5 |
| Christian Eriksen | 5 |
| Ben Davies | 2 |
Spurs Assists in 2017/18
| Player | Assists |
| Christian Eriksen | 6 |
| Dele Alli | 6 |
| Kieran Trippier | 4 |
| Son Heung-Min | 3 |
| Ben Davies | 3 |
Chances Created in 2017/18
| Player | Chances Made |
| Christian Eriksen | 49 |
| Dele Alli | 36 |
| Kieran Trippier | 29 |
| Ben Davies | 29 |
| Son Heung-Min | 24 |
Touches in Opposition Box (2017/18)
| Player | Touches in Oppo Box |
| Harry Kane | 136 |
| Son Heung-Min | 87 |
| Dele Alli | 86 |
| Christian Eriksen | 54 |
| Moussa Sissoko | 36 |
Successful Dribbles in 2017/18
| Player | Successful Dribbles |
| Harry Kane | 27 |
| Son Heung-Min | 27 |
| Mousa Dembélé | 26 |
| Dele Alli | 21 |
| Jan Vertonghen | 17 |
Data Courtesy of EA SPORTS, the Lead Partner of the Premier League.