Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglou has backed striker Son Heung-min to rediscover his best form soon, insisting Mohamed Salah would also struggle in the team's current injury crisis.
The boy recently saw his contract extension for one year it was caused during a season which, by his lofty standards, has so far fallen short of expectations. The winger has five goals and six assists in 17 games, with Spurs struggling in 12th place in Premier League standings. Salah, meanwhile, tops the division in both goals and assists.
Postecoglou called on Son's critics to take a step back and acknowledge the team's wider struggles. They have been hit by a selection crisis this season that could see them leave without 11 first team players for Wednesday's Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Liverpool.
“People need to have some context,” Postecoglou began. “Mo is a world-class player, but if you put him in our team now, I'm not sure he'll have the same level of performance because of the situation we're in as a group.
“You need a team that is in good form, creating chances, playing on the front foot, having a really strong base of a defense that is cohesive. None of those things exist at the moment (at Spurs). We are relying on individuality moments.
“Mo is an incredible player but he's playing in a fantastic team that's flying. I'd venture to say that if you put Sonny Liverpoolhis team, I think his goal return would be good.
“We're a team that's very disjointed, that doesn't play with a fluidity that they can play with. We're asking players to play in positions that they're not completely familiar with. But when we're at our best, I still think you'll see the return of Sonny – in terms of his ability to score goals and be really effective for us, but we're having a tough run.”