da bwin： [ad_pod ]
da blaze casino： Rafael van der Vaart says he “liked” his former team-mate Son Heung-Min’s sending off during Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 loss to AFC Bournemouth, per the London Evening Standard.
What’s he said?
Son, who played with Van der Vaart during his time at Hamburg in Germany, was sent off for pushing Jefferson Lerma during the club’s dismal defeat to the Cherries on the South Coast.
The result appeared to place Spurs’ hopes of qualifying for the Champions League in serious doubt but Arsenal’s draw with Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester United’s stalemate with Huddersfield Town means that Mauricio Pochettino’s men are almost certain to finish in the top four.
Spurs would need to lose to Everton, Arsenal would need to beat Burnley and there would need to be an eight-goal swing in favour of the Gunners for their north London rivals to miss out.
And Van der Vaart insists that he enjoyed Son’s show of petulance as his old side prepare for their Champions League semi-final second leg against Ajax, another of the Dutchman’s former clubs.
“It sounds silly, but I like it [the shove],” he said.
“It’s not smart but sometimes you need that kind of energy. It shows he hates losing. I’m not a player any more, I’m a fan, and I want to see somebody who wants to win and wants to fight.
“When I played with him he was 18 or 19 and a little bit shy. I think a little bit too shy. It’s not really that he was quiet but sometimes you have to step up and say what you think. He was always so nice to everybody and he wouldn’t say, ‘Give me the effing ball and I’ll do it’. You have to develop at that age.
“That’s what he’s now doing when Harry Kane is not playing. Harry is the best striker in the world and when he is on, maybe Son is playing a different game, sometimes passing to Harry instead of going alone and making a goal by himself. He is scoring more goals when Harry is not on the pitch. That explains how he is as a person now.”
Lucky he didn’t cost them
Spurs could have been in dire straits had Arsenal and Manchester United held up their end of the bargain.
Instead, their qualification for the Champions League seems secure.
Son should count his lucky stars that both the Gunners and the Red Devils downright bottled the chance to put the pressure on.
One can understand what Van der Vaart is saying; it does, indeed, speak to Son’s intense desire to win.
But it very nearly saw Spurs’ season ruined; as a “fan” the former playmaker should know that better than most.