AL-AIN • While the arrival of Son Heung-min has installed South Korea as favourites for the Asian Cup, coach Paulo Bento may be forced to wrap their star in cotton wool as "he has played a lot of games during the last months".
The Tottenham forward arrived in the United Arab Emirates yesterday to join the Taeguk Warriors for the rest of the tournament after an arrangement was struck with the Premier League side for him to be excused for their first two games.
A video posted on the Instagram page of the Asian Football Confederation showed Son signing autographs upon arriving from London.
With South Korea having already reached the last 16, fans may not get a chance to see the 26-year-old in tomorrow's Group C dead rubber against China as the team need to take stock of his fitness levels.
Son, who has eight goals and seven assists in Spurs' last 12 league games, has played nearly 1,000 minutes in 16 games for his club this season, on top of his appearances at last year's World Cup and their title-winning Asian Games run.
Bento told reporters: "Of course, a player with the quality that Son has... can help the team. But we need to wait until the game against China or the knockout phase.
"We will talk and then we are going to take the best decisions for the team."
Despite South Korea labouring to successive 1-0 group-stage wins and failing to turn their domination into goals, the Portuguese hinted he would resist throwing Son into the fray, insisting that South Korea were "not going to change our way of playing".
He said: "What we are going to do is improve our collective game, try to attack better than we have played until now."
While Spurs manager Mauricio Pochettino has lamented the absence of Son, who could miss up to five games if his country reaches the Cup final on Feb 1, the player is also "very sorry" for being away at a crucial point of their season.
He added: "I miss already in September (due to the Jakarta Games). I feel sorry for my teammates, the fans and the coaching staff. It's difficult. Sometimes, it's a bit sad but it is also important for my country.
"I hope I can keep my form for the national team and when I come back here again as well."
However, South Koreans are hoping he will instead take out his frustrations on their opponents, with Son expected to fire Bento's men to glory and end their Asian Cup hurt. They have finished runners-up four times, the latest at the previous edition in Australia.
AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, DPA, REUTERS
ASIAN CUP
South Korea v China: Singtel TV Ch116 & StarHub Ch210, tomorrow, 9.20pm
Football: Gymkhana president infuriated by 'unfair' treatment of NFL club Gymkhana FC were booted out of the National Football League, with the Football Association of Singapore also withdrawing
Gymkhana bemoan 'unfair' treatment, Football News & Top
BARCELONA (Reuters) - Barcelona have one hand firmly on the La Liga title after winning 2-0 at Alaves on Tuesday, leaving them 12 points clear at the top of the table with four games to play.
Barcelona on verge of Liga title after beating Alaves
Everton ride luck for 2-0 victory at home to Bournemouth. There were grumblings of discontent from the home fans as Everton were outplayed before the break but Marco Silva's side improved in the
Everton ride luck for 2-0 home victory over Bournemouth - The
Harry Kane has revealed his plans to swap football for American football, and end his sporting career as a kicker in the NFL. The England captain has made no secret of his passion for the US sport
10 Easy Fixes To Improve Weak Cell Phone Signal. battery status from reaching critically low. will strengthen your signal so it's good throughout the house.
Wi-Fi Signal Strength: What Is a Good Signal And How Do You
Once again Amazon has been caught in a controversy, this time over selling toilet seat covers and other items with images of Hindu gods on its marketplace platform. According to a report published in Reuters, several items like toilet seat covers, yoga mats, sneakers, rugs and other items depicting Hindu gods, or sacred Hindu symbols were
Daya Nayak courts controversy yet again - YouTube
Qatar coach Felix Sanchez has vowed to "isolate" his players from politics at the Asian Cup, which is taking place in the United Arab Emirates during a diplomatic crisis between the countries.
Qatar Coach to 'Isolate' Team from Gulf Politics at AFC Asian
Fandi rues missed chances in 1-1 draw It was encouraging that his team struck back immediately after falling behind, but Singapore's 1-1 draw with Hong Kong in the Asian Football Confederation Under-23 Championship qualifier yesterday still left a sour taste in coach Fandi Ahmad's mouth.
Safuwan scores to salvage Singapore draw in Hong Kong
Arsenal's forward Vivianne Miedema claimed the women's Player of the Year award. Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk was named as England's PFA Player of the Year for 2019 on Sunday.
Norwich promoted to Premier League after three-year absence getty, Nathan Stirk Norwich City secured promotion to the English Premier League after a three-year absence with a 2-1 win at home to Blackburn Rovers on Saturday.
Norwich City promoted to Premier League after three-year absence
Where Next for José Mourinho as Real Madrid Have an Itch to Scratch? London - John Duerden, Paul Wilson, Adam White, Andy Brassell, Artur Petrosyan and Sid Lowe "Sports"
Where next for José Mourinho as Real Madrid have an itch to
La Liga: Griezmann on target again as Atletico Madrid edge closer to Barcelona Griezmann now has eight goals in as many games, his latest helping Atletico register their sixth win in seven league
Griezmann On Target Again As Atletico Edge Closer To
Almoez Ali brushed off a row about his eligibility to scoop an Asian Cup winner's medal and smash a 23-year-old scoring record on Friday, confirming that Qatar have a potential star in the making
Almoez Ali Qatari goal machine targets Europe move before
Temporary custody can be suspended at any time by the parents granting the custody. The Louisiana temporary guardianship form is a document by the minor's parent or guardian that provides another person with temporary legal guardianship to make decisions on health, educations and other aspects relating to the child.
Atletico Madrid fell to their first La Liga defeat in five months as they were beaten 1-0 at Real Betis on Sunday, missing a golden chance to close the gap with leaders Barcelona and slipping six
Atletico title bid suffers with defeat at Betis in Morata debut
adtest.supersport.com/football/spain/news/190203/Atletico_title_bid_suffers_with_defeat_at_Betis_in_Morata_debut
Alvaro Morata's debut ended in disappointment as Atletico Madrid missed a golden chance to cut the gap behind Barcelona by losing 1-0 to Real Betis in La Liga on Sunday. Morata made his first start for Atletico at Benito Villamarin but it was an unspectacular opener for the on-loan Chelsea striker, and a big opportunity squandered for his team.
Atletico title bid suffers with defeat at Betis in Morata debut
0 comments:
Post a Comment