LONDON – Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min has urged his side to “stick together” in tough moments after a run of four straight English Premier League defeats all but ended their hopes of a top-four finish.
Spurs lost 4-2 to Liverpool last weekend, which came after they suffered at the hands of Chelsea (2-0), Arsenal (3-2) and a 4-0 thrashing by Newcastle United.
Ange Postecoglou’s men will host relegation-threatened Burnley on May 11, which will be a perfect opportunity to bounce back.
But, should fifth-placed Tottenham lose again, they will officially be out of Champions League contention.
Spurs have played 35 games and have 60 points, behind Aston Villa (67), who have played a game more.
Son, however, is not giving up the fight just yet.
“Look, in tough moments we have to stick together. It’s a great opportunity for us to get tighter and stronger,” he said, as quoted by the Football London website.
“The four fixtures have been tough and because they’re all in a month, it looks worse. But we’ll fight until the end.
“When you think about the start of the season and we were playing well, everyone was full of joy and there was no pressure.
“Now is the time that everyone has to step up and stick to what we want to do.”
He reiterated: “When things are going well, it’s easy. But in tough moments, everyone has to help one another.”
The South Korean skipper is optimistic but the reality is that high-flying Villa, who take on Liverpool on May 13 and will likely beat Crystal Palace in their last game, will need just one more win to seal the final Champions League spot behind Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool.
After Burnley, Spurs will face a tough test against City and then an easier clash against relegated Sheffield United.
Asked if the team remain on the right track under Postecoglou, Son added: “Definitely. Don’t forget, it’s the manager’s first season and we’ve had new players coming to play for us in the Premier League.
“It’s disappointing (to lose) four games but I think we have to hold this pain and the results, work hard and get better.”
Tottenham have no fresh injury concerns after the loss to Liverpool, but Timo Werner, Ben Davies, Manor Solomon, Ryan Sessegnon, Fraser Forster and Destiny Udogie are all out for the remainder of the season.
The match will also be of utmost importance to Burnley, who will be relegated if they lose. The Clarets are five points adrift of safety with only six left to fight for.
Vincent Kompany’s men have one win, two draws and a defeat in their last four games, but a point against Spurs will not be enough this weekend.
“For us, we have to look at the Spurs game as the final game of the season,” the manager said, suggesting that his side will go all out to get the three points.
He will be without the injured Aaron Ramsey, Jordan Beyer, Nathan Redmond and Ameen Al-Dakhil, while Maxime Esteve and Luca Koleosho are doubtful.
