MELBOURNE, Australia – Tottenham captain Son Heung-Min said on Tuesday there is “a lot of room for improvement” after Ange Postecoglou's first year at the club and that the players will take responsibility for taking a step forward.
Son and his teammates flew to Postecoglou's hometown of Melbourne on Tuesday morning for a post-season friendly against Premier League side Newcastle United on Wednesday, with 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 Europa League place with a 3–0 victory over Sheffield United on the final day of the campaign, ending a year-long absence from European competition.
However, Son acknowledged that there was much room for improvement in the second year of Postecoglou's term.
“We have been talking a lot about this, after [Ange’s] first season and obviously we could do much better,” Son told reporters in Melbourne.
“We see it, but I think we look forward to it. [The season is] disappeared and we should learn that there is much room for improvement.
“Next season will be much better and the players will take the responsibility of being [able to] take a step forward and be disciplined.
“Where we ended up is thanks to us. Not anyone else. So we have to think about it and for next season we can't make the same mistakes.”
Spurs players boarded flights to Australia just hours after their victory at Bramall Lane on Sunday and Postecoglou joked that they had wasted an entire Monday in the middle of their trip to Australia.
With player load and fatigue becoming an increasingly contentious issue in the world's major leagues, the Australian coach has already signaled that post-season tours like this week's will not happen when the club has European games to play.
But with FIFA moving last week to review regulations preventing domestic league matches from being played internationally, the prospect of more international travel looms large for Spurs and other Premier League teams in the coming years. years.
“I guess it's a challenge for everyone in terms of the football calendar, we know it's getting more and more congested,” Postecoglou said.
“Sonny had to go to the Asian Cup in January, we had guys in the AFCON. This off-season, we have guys in the Euro Cup and the Copa America. So it's becoming a challenge for the footballers in particular because they don't get the rest.” . required.
“I guess for all the governing bodies, it's about trying to get a schedule that allows the game to be as exposed as possible, but also allows the players, who are the most important participants, to be able to perform at the highest level.” “
For Son, his season will extend into next month's international window after visiting Australia, with South Korea set to play World Cup qualifiers against Singapore and China on June 6 and 11.
South Korea are yet to appoint a full-time coach following the dismissal of Jürgen Klinsmann following their elimination by Jordan in the Asian Cup semi-finals, with former K-League coach Kim Do-hoon taking over as interim manager in this window.
“I have no contact with the federation [about the coaching situation]”said the son.
“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 guy to be successful. If it takes time, it takes time.”
