Football writer Adrian Clarke identifies the key players, team tactics and where matches could be won and lost in Matchweek 25.
Player analysis: Son Heung-min
Son scored straight from a corner the last time Tottenham Hotspur hosted Manchester United in north London.
That effort, in a 4-3 EFL Cup win for Ange Postecoglou’s side, was his last goal or assist on home turf, a run stretching for six matches and almost two months.
It is unusual for the South Korean to go that long without making an impact for Spurs in front of their own fans, so do not be surprised if he delivers for his side on Sunday.
How is his form looking? Let’s take a closer look…
A player of pedigree
For eight consecutive seasons Son has reached double figures for Premier League goals.
In three of those campaigns he also reached 10 assists, rightly building a reputation as one of the league’s most reliable forward players.
With him, quality end product has always been guaranteed.
But the three-time Spurs Player of the Year is now 32, and 2024/25 has arguably been his most challenging season.
Son still has six goals and seven assists to his name – with double figures still a possibility for both – but his overall form has been less consistent than in previous years.
Is he turning into more of a provider?
Son has already eclipsed his assist total from four of his last eight seasons, creating 0.4 goals per 90 minutes so far.
He is not making a greater number of opportunities, but as shown in the table below, the quality of those chances is better right now than it has been across the last five years.
Son's creativity stats per season
| Season | Assists/90 | Chances created/90 | Big chances created/90 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 0.29 | 2.16 | 0.40 |
| 2021/22 | 0.21 | 2.15 | 0.30 |
| 2022/23 | 0.19 | 1.89 | 0.25 |
| 2023/24 | 0.31 | 2.08 | 0.61 |
| 2024/25 | 0.40 | 2.10 | 0.74 |
Son's through-balls have been particularly effective, with his incisive pass for Pape Sarr producing a goal in their recent win at Brentford.
What do Son’s shooting stats tell us?
When you compare the areas that Son is shooting from this season compared with last season (when he scored 17 goals) and his Golden Boot-winning 2021/22 campaign (when he scored 23 goals) you can see why he is finding the back of the net less often.
This campaign he has taken very few efforts from the central portion of the box, firing most from an angle on the left side of the area.
In those two prolific seasons he got himself between the width of the goalposts on a far more regular basis. You can see this in the graphics below, comparing Son's shot maps from 2021/22 and last season with the current campaign.
In the continued absence of Dominic Solanke, who is injured, Son will look to improve on that against Man Utd on Sunday, taking shots from better, more dangerous areas.
Son's xG map compared
Son is enjoying more touches inside the box per 90 minutes under Postecoglou than he did before; a reflection of the team’s attacking style.
Yet the positions he is shooting from are limiting his chances of scoring at such a quick rate.
His average of only 0.29 Expected Goals (xG) per 90 this time around - compared with 0.48 in 2021/22 and 0.37 last season - has come from a similar quantity of shots, and explains why his conversion rate has dipped.
He has hit the target with just under 69 per cent of his shots this season, but has scored with only 14.29 per cent of his attempts, showing he is as accurate as ever but the degree of difficulty is now tougher.
Son's shooting stats in last five seasons
| Statistic | 20/21 | 21/22 | 22/23 | 23/24 | 24/25 |
| Goals/90 | 0.49 | 0.69 | 0.31 | 0.52 | 0.34 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| xG/90 | 0.28 | 0.48 | 0.32 | 0.37 | 0.29 |
| Shots/90 | 1.96 | 2.56 | 2.51 | 2.60 | 2.38 |
| Conversion rate | 25.00% | 26.74% | 12.35% | 20.00% | 14.29% |
| Big chance conversion rate | 56.52% | 43.33% | 35.71% | 63.16% | 40.00% |
| Touches in opp box/90 | 3.86 | 4.68 | 3.60 | 6.93 | 5.27 |
Fewer trademark strikes
Spurs will also be hoping to launch the kind of fast breaks that suit Son’s strengths.
The 32-year-old has always been a major threat on the counter-attack, but just two of his six goals in 2024/25 have come in that manner.
His excellent breakaway goal in the home win against West Ham United is a prime example of how Spurs use his skillset best.
Adapting his game
Son’s explosive pace is still there. His top speed so far this season was clocked at 35.13km/hr, which is very much on a par with his usual levels.
Is he conserving his energy a little bit more? The answer to that is possibly, yes.
When you analyse the way he presses opponents compared with the first year working with Postecoglou, you can see that he has backed off a little in his off-the-ball endeavours.
Son's pressing stats per 90 in last two seasons
| Statistic | 23/24 | 24/25 |
| Pressures in final third | 19.55 | 12.74 |
|---|---|---|
| Pressures resulting in turnover in final third | 4.00 | 2.38 |
| Possession won final third | 1.01 | 0.68 |
He has always been a wonderful outlet for team-mates, making incisive runs that disturb defences.
Son still boasts that trait of course - he is excellent at it - but the numbers show us he is making fewer bursts, and therefore Spurs are finding him less often from those situations.
Son's off-the-ball runs per 90
| Season | Off-the-ball runs | Off-the-ball runs targeted by a pass |
|---|---|---|
| 2020/21 | 29.99 | 11.25 |
| 2021/22 | 29.87 | 10.43 |
| 2022/23 | 33.96 | 11.30 |
| 2023/24 | 30.06 | 10.11 |
| 2024/25 | 28.94 | 8.67 |
How can Spurs help his form pick up?
While he has been good in patches, Son’s lack of goals and assists in recent weeks will be a source of frustration for him and his head coach.
To make sure his impact grows between now and the end of the season, the nine-time Asian Footballer of the Year must work hard on taking up central positions inside the 18-yard box.
If he gets into the middle of the box more often, the goal count will grow.
From a tactical perspective, using his directness to better effect is also a wise idea; and setting up more fast-break situations will help achieve that.
Until this point, five Premier League teams have had more shots than Spurs' 26 from fast breaks, yet Postecoglou’s men are the joint-highest scorers from that type of attack, with 10 goals.
Sitting in and springing those lightning-quick counters against Man Utd would suit them, and their popular frontman.
