Is Holan a dual striker? Is Son Heung-min a strong team striker? The record gap is severe.
The biggest difference between Erling Holland and Son Heung-min this season is when they meet top teams.
France's L'Equipe analyzed Holland's performance in the 2023-2024 season on the 9th (Korea Standard Time) and pointed out the player's shortcomings.
Holland had 36 goals and eight assists in 35 matches in the league since his first season as a Manchester City player. It is not exaggerating to say that Holland is inscribed on the record of most goals scored in the Premier League. Holland scored a goal regardless of strength or weakness.
Holland has been leading in scoring this season with 19 goals and five assists in 25 games as well. Although he looked quite sluggish compared to last season, Holland's problem was other than his poor scoring ability. His scoring ability drops sharply when facing top-ranked teams.
L'Equipe said, 'Holland rarely scores goals against strong teams in the EPL. This season, Holland continues to score goals in the league, but his efficiency against strong teams is low.' Of Holland's 19 goals, only one was against the top five teams in the EPL.
As a result, Manchester City has not displayed the same performance in matches against the top five teams this season. It had one win, four draws and two losses, achieving just one win. Even that was the victory against Villa, where the mood had recently been shaky. However, Holland did not play at the time. Holland is by no means a weak player in big tournaments, but his record this season shows that he is a good student.
This season, Holland is the world's best striker, but his presence is not great when there is no ball. In fact, Manchester United legend Roy Keane pointed out, "Hallan is the best in the world in front of goal, but his overall play is terrible," adding, "He is an excellent striker, but he needs to improve his performance over the next few years."
The player on the opposite side of Holland is Son Heung-min. Among the players from Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City, Tottenham, and Aston Villa in the 2023-2024 season, Son Heung-min was surprisingly the player who scored the most goals against the top five teams. Son Heung-min topped these statistics with five goals against strong teams. Phil Foden, Alexander Isaac, and Nicola Jackson came in second with four goals.
Son is not only strong against certain teams. He scored two goals in the match against Arsenal (one match), one goal in the match against Liverpool (one match), one goal in the match against Manchester City (one match), and one goal in the match against Villa (two matches). Tottenham did not lose in the match against strong teams, which Son has become an offensive point. The record against the top five teams is good with two wins, two draws and one loss.
Attention is focusing on whether Son Heung-min will be able to continue this momentum until the end of the game. Tottenham is said to have the casting vote for the championship this season. This is because they will meet Manchester City, Arsenal, and Liverpool, who are competing for the league title at the end of the season. Depending on how Son Heung-min performs against strong teams, his prospects for winning the league this season could change 180 degrees.