View: Ange deserves plaudits for treatment of 88% star in Tottenham win v Aston Villa

Ange Postecoglou showed great management skills for Tottenham on Sunday as he removed Son Heung-min in the 4-1 win against Aston Villa.

The 32-year-old returned to the starting lineup at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, having missed six of the previous seven matches for Spurs through injury.

Son began the remarkable comeback against Aston Villa, assisting Brennan Johnson for the equaliser only four minutes after the restart.

However, he looked distraught as his number was raised in the 56th minute and he made way for Richarlison.

While his reaction may lead to a discussion with Postecoglou, the boss prioritised his talisman’s health on the day and was ultimately rewarded as a Dominic Solanke brace and James Maddison free-kick rounded off the result.

Son Heung-min must put Tottenham’s needs over his own

Tottenham are undoubtedly a much better side when Son is on the pitch but the South Korean has only just returned from injury and his minutes must be managed to ensure there are no further setbacks.

Son immediately hit the ground running upon his return against Aston Villa as he completed 88 per cent of his passes, with two key passes and one big chance created leading to the equaliser [Sofascore].

However, the forward is well into the twilight years of his career and can no longer recover at the same speed. This became evident as the match wore on and he only managed to complete 28.5 per cent of his dribbles and lost possession 10 times.

His impact was flailing as he failed to find teammates with 50 per cent of his crosses and lost 54 per cent of his ground duels, as per Sofascore. Postecoglou pulled the trigger with the score level at 1-1 and made the bold decision to end his afternoon.

Richarlison’s introduction proved to be a well-executed decision as the Brazilian completed 100 per cent of his passes, with two key passes and one big chance created, leading to the assist of Solanke’s second goal of the day and Spurs’ third.

Tottenham have struggled for consistent form this season, partly down to Son’s absence, and the captain must be at the forefront of the plans moving forward. Thus, his return will must continue to be well-managed by Postecoglou.

The result now leaves Spurs only two points behind Chelsea in fourth place in the Premier League and one point behind Nottingham Forest in third, despite a mixed start to the campaign.

It is a testament to how far Tottenham have come under Postecoglou that the side can afford to remove an important player such as Son and still march to a resounding victory against a Champions League rival.

In other Tottenham news, Radu Dragusin has become a key man for Spurs after developments against Aston Villa.

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