Alan Shearer's big question mark on Son Heung-min

Football experts have recently expressed concern that Son Heung-min has shown signs of losing confidence.

Gary Lineker, Alan Shearer, and Micah Richards reviewed the match between Tottenham and Aston Villa on YouTube channel 'The Rest Is Football' on the 11th (Korean time). Tottenham lost 1-2 to Villa in the 4th round (round of 32) of the 2024-2025 English FA Cup held at Villa Park on the 10th and was eliminated from the competition.

Son Heung-min also started, but failed to prevent the team's defeat. Son Heung-min had a scoring opportunity in the middle of the first half when he caught Mikey Moore's ground cross in front of the goal, but failed to equalize as his finish was blocked by goalkeeper Emiliano Martinez.

In the second half, he also chose to pass to a teammate instead of shooting in front of the goal. In the 10th minute of the second half, Pedro Porro broke through the right and passed the ball to the center, and Son Heung-min received it, and when he couldn't see the shooting angle, he quickly pushed it to Yves Bissouma, who was next to him. Bissouma's shot also hit the defender's body and failed to reach the goal.

British experts raised the issue of Son Heung-min's confidence after seeing this scene. Richards said, "Son Heung-min is not playing with the confidence he used to. He just touches too much."

When Alan Shearer asked, "Did you see him pass in the second half?", Richards replied, "He's passing here? The old Son Heung-min would have touched it and then turned it into the corner." Shearer agreed, saying, "If Son Heung-min is full of confidence, he would have shot with one touch or even a small step over. It doesn't make sense to pass there."

Son Heung-min has scored 6 goals and 7 assists in the English Premier League (PL) this season, but he has become the center of criticism as the team's performance has not followed suit. Tottenham is currently in 14th place in the league, and with both the League Cup and FA Cup eliminated, the possibility of winning a trophy in England has disappeared. The only competition where they can challenge for the championship is the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) Europa League. In the midst of this, there are claims that the aging curve has begun as 'ace' Son Heung-min's destructive power has disappeared.

However, this is not just a problem for Son Heung-min, but for Tottenham as a whole. Tottenham had to play in a more physically exhausted state than Villa. While Villa had rested for a week before playing the game, Tottenham played the second leg of the League Cup semifinals against Liverpool three days ago and entered the game right away. In addition to Son Heung-min, the physical condition and concentration of the starting players were not normal. This can be seen in the scene where they conceded a goal in the first minute of the first half.