Ahead of the FA Cup semi-final clash with Chelsea, I wrote about the difficult decision that Tottenham Hotspur manager Mauricio Pochettino had in terms of team selection.
With almost everyone fit and available, it appeared that a big-name player, probably either Eric Dier or Son Heung-min, would have to be dropped to facilitate a formation that could win.
However, Pochettino made a bluish decision to get all his best players on the pitch at the same time, sacrificing Ben Davies and playing the South Korean attacker in the left wing-back role.
Son’s concession of a first-half penalty was an undoubted mistake by the player, while in hindsight the manager’s decision to play him out of position back-fired to some degree.
That said, Tottenham fans should not get on their manager’s back or hound the player.
Son actually looked capable of playing the role and against more modest opposition the ploy could well have been a masterstroke.
Pochettino has shown that he is not scared to make bold decisions and although this one did not come off, I’d prefer to have an ambitious coach rather than one that was overly defensive or cautious.
Spurs went for victory yesterday and should be applauded for doing so.
Son is a real asset to our football club and a player that will help to drive the team to future success.
In Pochettino we have arguably the rising star of Premier League management and the Spurs boss should be afforded the trust and love he deserves after revitalising Tottenham’s fortunes – despite things not working out at Wembley yesterday.