Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min has been named the Premier League's best goal-kicker as his goal-scoring prowess has reached its peak.
"Son has the highest Big Chance Conversion Rate (85.7%) in the Premier League this season," soccer statistics website Hooscore.com explained on social media on Jan. 31 (Korean time).
Big chance conversion rate refers to the percentage of chances that a team converts into goals when they have a decisive scoring opportunity. The higher the number, the more likely it is that the player is a good goal scorer who doesn't miss chances.
After 10 rounds of the 2023/24 Premier League season, we've analyzed the best players in the league and found that Tottenham captain and top scorer Son Heung-min is the best goalie in the Premier League so far.
According to the Premier League's official website, Son, who has started every league game this season, has faced a total of eight crucial scoring chances so far. Of those eight 'big chances', he has only failed to convert one, giving him a staggering 85.7% (7/8) big chance conversion rate.
This is further highlighted by the data for players who are competing with Son in the scoring race. Heung-min is currently tied for second in the Premier League with Mohamed Salah (Liverpool) with eight goals. In first place is defending top scorer and "monster striker" Elling Holland (Manchester City) with 11 goals.
To date, Holland has scored the most goals in the league, but he's also missed a lot of chances. He currently leads all Premier League players with 11 big misses. Salah, who is tied for second in goals with Son Heung-min, has missed two crucial chances.
After a monster 52-goal campaign last season, Holland finished second in the 2023 Ballon d'Or voting behind "World Cup Winner" Lionel Messi (Inter Miami). Fans were once again reminded of the greatness of Son Heung-min as he outdid Holland in terms of decision-making, who is arguably one of the best soccer players in the world.
After a down year last season, scoring just 10 goals in the league, Son has bounced back perfectly in 2023/24. With the help of manager Anzhi Postecoglou, Heung-min reveled in his new role and returned to being one of the Premier League's top strikers.
After the departure of his best partner, world-class striker Harry Kane, to Bayern Munich, Postecoglou moved Son to the number nine role. It was a "stroke of genius" for Postecoglou to move Son, who normally plays on the left wing, to the front line.
Heung-min scored a whopping six goals in four league games in September after switching to the No. 9 role. No player had a better September than Son, and the Premier League named him the September Player of the Month.
His momentum continued in October. After scoring a goal and providing an assist in a 2-0 win over Fulham in the ninth round of the league on October 24, Heung-min followed it up with a goal and an assist in a 2-1 win over Crystal Palace in the 10th round. Son's performances have helped Tottenham go unbeaten in the league since the start of the season (8 wins, 2 draws), putting them at the top of the Premier League table.
Son's resurgence as the Premier League's top scorer in the 2021/22 season drew much attention in the U.K. Sky Sports explained that the changes made under Postecoglou and Son's existing strengths created a synergy that led to Son's resurgence.
"He is now doing a lot of work inside the opponent's penalty box," Sky Sports said on the 20th, explaining that "Heung-min's touch ratio in the box, which was less than 10 percent of his total ball touches, has been close to 20 percent this season." 온라인카지노
This increase in touches in the box has led to a significant increase in scoring chances for a player who has always been a good goal scorer. In fact, all eight of Son's goals this season have come from inside the box, and one of the reasons he struggled last season was that Antonio Conte played him closer to midfield.
Heung-min also showed off his ambidextrous striking ability, scoring three of his eight goals with his left foot, and his shooting touch was at its peak, with an effective shot conversion rate of 70% (14/20). Playing to his strengths and making a complete comeback, it will be interesting to see how far Son Heung-min can go this season.