Tottenham have ‘a lot of room for improvement’ says Son Heung-Min

MELBOURNE, Australia — Tottenham captain Son Heung-Min said Tuesday there was “a lot of room for improvement” after Ange Postecoglou’s first year at the club and that players would take responsibility for progressing .

His and his teammates traveled to Postecoglou’s hometown of Melbourne on Tuesday morning for a post-season friendly against fellow Premier League side Newcastle United on Wednesday, in front of an expected crowd of 80,000 at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

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Spurs finished the season in fifth place and secured a place in the Europa League with a 3–0 victory over Sheffield United on the final day of the campaign, ending a year’s absence from European competition.

However, Son acknowledged there was plenty of room for improvement in the second year of Postecoglou’s tenure.

“We talked about it a lot after (Ange’s) first season and obviously we could do a lot better,” Son told reporters in Melbourne.

“We see it, but I think we’re looking forward to it. (The season is) over and we should learn that there’s so much to improve on.

“Next season will be much better and the players will take responsibility for being able to be disciplined.

“Where we finish is because of us. Not anyone else. So we have to think about that and for next season we can’t make the same mistakes.”

Spurs players flew to Australia just hours after their victory at Bramall Lane on Sunday, with Postecoglou joking that they had lost an entire Monday during their trip to the Antipodes.

With player load and fatigue an increasingly controversial issue in the world’s top leagues, the Australian coach has already indicated that post-season tours like this week’s will not take place when the club has European matches to play.

But with FIFA deciding last week to review regulations preventing domestic league matches from being played internationally, the prospect of an increasing number of international trips looms for Spurs and other teams in Premier League in the years to come.

“I guess it’s a challenge for everyone in terms of the football calendar, we know it’s getting more and more crowded,” Postecoglou said.

“Sonny had to go to the Asian Cup in January, we had guys at the AFCON. This offseason we have guys at the Euro and the Copa America. So it becomes a challenge for footballers in particular because they don’t have the rest required.

“I guess for all the governing bodies it’s about trying to have a schedule that allows the game to be exposed as much as possible, but also allows the players – who are the most important participants – to to be able to perform at the highest level.”

For Son, his season will extend into next month’s international window after his visit to Australia, with South Korea scheduled to play World Cup qualifiers against Singapore and China on June 6-11.

South Korea are yet to appoint a full-time coach after Jürgen Klinsmann was sacked following his elimination by Jordan in the Asian Cup semi-finals, former K-League coach Kim Do -hoon serving as acting guardian of this window.

“I have no contact with the federation (about the coaching situation),” Son said.

“It’s not my job, my job is to play on the field. If it takes time, it takes time. I think we need to find the right coach to be successful. There is no perfect decision .

“We have to make sure we hire the right person to be successful. If it takes time, it takes time.”