Tottenham Hotspur return to Premier League action on Saturday afternoon as they welcome high-flying Brighton and Hove Albion to north London.
After an agonisingly late equaliser from Everton on Monday night, the Lilywhites have lost ground in the race for the top four as they sit in fifth place, having played a game more than the two teams ahead of them.
Meanwhile, a win for the visitors – who also have a game in hand on Spurs – would put them within touching distance themselves.
Without a manager, it's certainly going to be a bumpy ride for Tottenham heading into the final nine fixtures. Antonio Conte's assistant manager, Cristian Stellini, remains in the dugout and he, along with Ryan Mason, is tasked with getting the club over the line.
A lot of the Italian's principles still remain, which is hardly a surprise, though the 48-year-old caretaker could do himself, and the side, a favour by making a big call in attack…
What has happened to Heung-min Son?
The 1-1 draw with the Toffees was another frustrating outing for struggling talisman Heung-min Son, who has looked like a shadow of himself this campaign. On the face of it, 14 goal contributions across 38 appearances in all competitions is pretty good going but it doesn't paint an accurate picture.
For instance, this season, the South Korean is averaging one goal every 3.8 matches, half of his returns from last term, where he managed a goal every 1.8 outings. In the Premier League, Son has bagged only three goals since September's international break, with his other trio of finishes coming in one entire game – a thrashing of relegation candidates Leicester City.
Writing in his post-match column for football.london, journalist Alasdair Gold highlighted his struggles. He said: 'Another tough night for the South Korean. It's difficult to remember anything of note he contributed to proceedings.'
A pretty meagre 6.5 rating by Sofascore was evidenced by his lack of prowess in front of goal, having failed to register a single shot or successful dribble – against a team tied on points with AFC Bournemouth in the final relegation spot. Hugo Lloris (47) between the sticks almost had double the 29-year-old's touches (27) too, emphasising his worrying lack of influence in the final third.
It was a display that Daily Express journalist Charlie Gordon encapsulated well as he claimed that Son is a "bit of a passenger in this Tottenham front 3 at present."
When in his flow state, Son is a frightening threat down the left flank for Tottenham but unfortunately, we've rarely seen that during the 2022/23 season.
His poor form is only hurting the side in the final third, which is why Stellini must make the ruthless decision to drop him from the starting XI.
It's a sad sign for a player that posed a "big problem" whenever he was out of the team – in the words of his former boss Jose Mourinho. If anything, he's now a 'big problem' for this Spurs team with his floundering returns in attack.
But perhaps it's what is needed right now and the last time the South Korean came off the bench, he bagged the winner against West Ham United, so maybe he could repeat such exploits this weekend.
As such, it's time to take the £30m-rated passenger out of the firing line in a bid to spark some sort of motivation to carry Spurs over the line in the coming weeks.