Heung Min-Son set to miss trip to Crystal Palace

In his Friday presser, Tottenham Hotspur manager Ange Postecoglu has suggested that Heung-Min Son will not be available for the game against Crystal Palace, saying “He’s still not right. He’s still not feeling 100 percent. He won’t train today, so unlikely for the weekend.”

Of course, a big shame, but certainly the correct thing to do if he isn’t 100 percent. There is no benefit to it. Even if he could, in theory, get through the game – he wouldn’t be at his best. Son’s worst season (at least production wise) was the 22/23 season, where he played through an injury. ‘

So, what should Ange do in his absence? There is simply no way that Timo Werner can start again. Ange even hinted at his frustration with the forward last night, saying that Spurs need more impact. “He’s definitely down in confidence, you can see that. It's a difficult thing to get out of sometimes. All we can do is support him and try to get him to a place where he feels more confident.

 He needs to find a way out of it because for us in those positions we need players to make an impact.” Whilst most of that is exactly what you’d expect from a manager speaking about his player in public, the last line is telling. That was the clearest sign of frustration Ange has showed with Werner so far.

The issue is, Mikey Moore played 87 minutes last night. For a 17-year old, it would be one hell of an ask physically for him to go again against Palace on Sunday. So, what is the alternative?

It would also be a big ask for Wilson Odobert to start the game, with last nights cameo his first minutes in only a month. What Ange could do is give them 45 minutes each. Moore in the first half, Odobert in the second half.

There is also the possibility of Richarlison starting on the left hand side. It is a position he played on a number of occasions for Watford and Everton, and even played there for Spurs at times in the last campaign. He will be feeling confident after his goal last night, and will be ready to start the game, having got over an hour in the tank against Alkmaar.

Even without Son, it wouldn’t be excusable not to pick up the win against a struggling Palace side. The European factor is not as much of an issue as in other weeks, with Spurs playing at home, rotating the side heavily, and only making a trip across London for this one.

That said, let’s hope, and pray, he is back for the game against Manchester City in midweek.