Son Heung-min says Tottenham Hotspur have had enough time to deal with an “unacceptable” defeat at Newcastle and are ready to mount a strong response against Arsenal in Sunday’s derby.
Spurs won’t need any extra motivation heading into their home game against their local rivals. But Son said Saturday’s 4-0 defeat to Newcastle – the club’s heaviest defeat of the season and possibly its worst performance – had sparked widespread discussion.
“This is an unacceptable result and unacceptable performance – for me too,” Son said. “As a team we talked a lot about this game and the performance. Everyone knows how to stand up. They have all played in the Premier League or professional teams for long enough. The motivation will be higher than in other games , so we have to work hard until the game and play our game, then there is no doubt that we can bounce back.
The Spurs captain has said on more than one occasion that his team will play the game its own way. Take risks, build from the back, be proactive and aggressive. It will be interesting to see if Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is pragmatic and wants to sit out more and attack the counter attack.
The disparity between the clubs’ recent schedules is another talking point. Spurs have played just seven games since February 17, a result of their absence from European competition and early exit from cup competitions. Arsenal have played four games since Tottenham last faced Newcastle.
“We spent a week preparing for this important game and we feel great,” Son said. “I’m always the kind of person who has confidence in the game and believes in myself. It doesn’t matter that I scored six goals in this game before. I just need to be ready for the most important game of the season.
After Arsenal, Tottenham will travel to Chelsea and Liverpool and host Manchester City in the penultimate game. “This will be a good test for our team,” Son said. “We are still young and a bit inexperienced because we were built with a young team. Some of them are going through their first season in the Premier League.
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“We can test against one of the biggest teams in Europe and the Premier League and the world. The way we play is very important. Stick to our game, our game. You want to always have good competition, you always want to face Against the best team in the world.
