Son lifts lid on Timo Werner pep talk that inspired end to 682-day goal drought
Timo Werner's first Premier League goal in 682 days was inspired by Deutsch courage after a pep-talk from his skipper Heung-Min Son - in German.
Tottenham ’s season boils down to Champions League or bust - and all the eggs in Spurs’ basket came out Sonny side up after three goals in 11 minutes, including on-loan striker Werner’s first for the club, flattened Palace eins-zwei-drei.
At Chelsea, the goals dried up for Werner like a hosepipe ban and he was struggling at Red Bull Leipzig (two in 14 games) until fair dinkum north London messiah Ange Postecoglou came calling in January.
Werner missed a yawning first-half chance to break his drought going back to October in the Bundesliga, but you don’t own a Champions League winner’s medal if you can’t hit a barn door.
And after Son’s encouragement in his native language - the South Korean captain spent seven years in Germany with Hamburg and Bayer Leverkusen - even Werner couldn’t miss an open goal as Spurs finally hit their stride.
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Now Tottenham’s crusade for a return to gilded orbit hits Amen Corner in a pivotal clash at top-four rivals Aston Villa on Sunday. And the key to Champions League riches could be their tribute to that hit movie about a fugitive fish: Finding Timo.
Son, who wrapped up victory with a majestic finish after Werner’s first bullseye in English football since April 2022 and Cristian Romero’s header, said: “Timo had a fantastic game and he helps a lot for the team.
“As an attacking player, when you miss a good chance like that you can get a little bit down. I just told him to keep going in German because he has a lot of potential as he showed when he got the equaliser.
Heung-Min Son also scored as Tottenham beat Crystal Palace 3-1 (Andrew Kearns - CameraSport via Getty Images)“It will be a huge game at Villa and we have to be ready for any kind of situation. They are obviously a really strong side and doing an amazing job. We need to get ready for the battles but you always feel excited when you have a big game.”
Relieved Werner, who swept home dynamic sub Brennan Johnson’s cross-on-a-plate, said: “I’m very pleased, very happy, because it was an important one - especially after the big first half chance.
“I haven’t really felt any pressure to score (my first goal) because the guys here have made me feel very comfortable from day one. They have made it easy for me to focus on playing football, and now I’ve got the first goal done, it’s even better for me.
Tottenham have a £15 million option to make Werner's loan move permanent this summer (Richard Pelham/Getty Images)“This was a big step for me to get more confidence and hopefully I can take it into our next games.” Tottenham have a £15 million option to turn Werner’s loan into a permanent move this summer.
For pace and directness it looks a no-brainer, even if his finishing is as scrambled as the balls in a lottery tombola. He is not looking that far ahead yet, adding: “We have so many important games coming up in the next few weeks there’s no need to think about that.
“This was an important result because being in the Champions League places at the end of the season is our big aim. Next week wee have a very big game at Aston Villa and, if we win that, we will have a very good chance of reaching our target.”
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