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By Martin Graham | 29th Mar 2023
Son Heung-min feels he is to take little blame for Antonio Conte’s Tottenham’s manager dismissal, because he has not been up to his usual best this season.
The Italian manager left Spurs on Sunday, following a week of reports suggesting the club had all but decided to show him the exit door, after an underwhelming run of form.
The final nail in the coffin proved to be the 3-3 draw at Southampton – during which Spurs led 3-1 before a late collapse – and Conte’s remarkable post-match outburst, which saw him surprisingly throw his players under the bus, calling them ‘selfish’.
Conte also criticized the club’s hierarchy during his rant but reportedly made it clear to bosses a few days later that all comments were targeted at the players.
Nevertheless, the club already it was best to let Conte leave, with a divorce by “mutual agreement” announced.
Son has now come out to take some blame for the run of form that saw the Italian manager sacked.
Son blames Conte’s sack on his ‘poor form’
Son, speaking on international duty, could not help but feel partly to blame, with the forward’s individual form suffering a significant drop-off this season. He was a joint-winner of the 2021-22 Premier League’s Golden Boot last term with 23 goals but has managed only six in 26 appearances in 2022-23.
By his own standards, it is a poor return so far and he has admitted it probably played a part in the Italian’s dismissal.
“As a player, I’m very sorry to him,” Son told reporters after South Korea’s 2-1 defeat to Uruguay.
“He is a world-class manager and we had a great journey together, I thank him a lot. I don’t know how other players are thinking about him, but I’m sorry to him.
“I should have shown more, but I couldn’t. I couldn’t help the team and I feel responsible because the coach took responsibility and left the club.”
Son added: “He has great skills and experience as a coach, I’m sure he’ll have great success in his future career.”
Conte’s assistant Cristian Stellini has been placed in charge until the end of the season, or until Spurs appoint a new head coach.
Julian Nagelsmann, recently sacked by Bayern Munich, is rumoured to be among the frontrunners, while former Spurs coach Mauricio Pochettino has been linked with a return.
Martin Graham is an MFF sports writer
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