‘We made the decision’ – Cristian Stellini on dropping Son Heung-min ahead of Tottenham's match against West Ham
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Updated 19/02/2023 at 16:48 GMT
Son Heung-min has been dropped for just the second time when fit this season, with assistant manager Cristian Stellini opting to start Richarlison in Tottenham's Premier League match against West Ham. Stellini defended the choice to do so before kick-off, saying that it was important to rotate the squad to keep energy levels high. Son has only scored four Premier League goals this season.
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Cristian Stellini has defended his decision to leave Son Heung-min on the bench ahead of Tottenham Hotspur's Premier League clash against West Ham.
Stellini opted to go for Richarlison instead of Son, making it only the second time that Son has been dropped from the starting eleven when fit this season.
Son has only scored four goals thus far in the Premier League. A hat trick against Leicester City back in September (the last time he started from the bench this season) and a goal against Crystal Palace in January.
Last season, he netted 23 times domestically, winning the joint golden boot alongside Mohamed Salah.
"Me, Antonio [Conte], and Ryan Mason [first-team coach], we made this decision because we have a big squad," said Stellini before kick-off.
"We have to take decisions, and today we want to use energy. We played with Sonny for many games; maybe this game, there could be time to have Sonny during the match. The reason we have a big squad is [to rotate].
"Every time that our players come off the bench, [we hope they] change the game and give us what we need."
Dropping Son was not all that surprising given Stellini's comments on the out-of-form player in his press conference ahead of the match.
"Every time when you pick the team, you have to leave someone on the bench, and normally, it is not important the player you have to maybe leave on the bench; it is about the team that has to play. It is also important that some important players stay on the bench, and their efforts [are saved for] when they come in. This is very important.
"We have experience with Sonny, we have experience with Richarlison, we have experience with Deki Kulusevski from the bench; they change the game.
"This is normal, and it is normal for everyone. Just because you have an important player, doesn't mean that he has to play and it is compulsory. If he needs to play sometimes, he also needs to rest because we have a tough fixture [list]. We have a tough moment, and we play many times.
"Sometimes you have to change the player and also to perform better."
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