Son out for season with broken arm: Mourinho
LONDON: Tottenham Hotspur’s hopes of obtaining something from the season have been equated to someone hanging on for dear life from a balcony in a typically colourful analogy by their manager Jose Mourinho.
The 57-year-old Portuguese made the comparison after he said he believed Korean star Son Heung-min’s season could well be over due to a fractured right arm. Mourinho is already without star striker Harry Kane— side-lined since January with a torn hamstring—as the club enters a crucial period. Midfielder Moussa Sissoko is another long-term casualty.
Spurs host Leipzig in a Champions League last-16 first-leg match on Wednesday and play Chelsea in a match that could prove pivotal in the dog-fight for the fourth and final Champions League spot.
Son’s absence comes as a cruel blow to the player and the team as he had been in a rich vein of form scoring in the last five matches after filling in for Kane up front.
The 27-year-old South Korean suffered the injury in the 3-2 victory over Aston Villa—in which he scored twice including the late winner—on Sunday.
The club did not specify how long Son would be out—he is due to undergo surgery this week— but Mourinho was pessimistic. “I’m not going to count on him again this season,” Mourinho said.
ATALANTA DREAM RUN
MILAN: Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta are counting on the wave of enthusiasm generated by the Italian outsiders remarkable run in their Champions League debut season to surge past Valencia in the knockout rounds.
The team from Bergamo in the foothills of the Italian Alps take on Valencia on Wednesday in the other match, at the 80,000-seater San Siro, which has nearly four times the capacity of their home stadium, 55 kilometres away. “This is a game that we have been waiting months for,” said Gasperini. “Being able to play on front of so many of our fans at a venue like San Siro is a beautiful achievement that we have been waiting a long time for.
“The Champions League is a dream which we’ll try to carry forward as much as possible. The whole city of Bergamo is practically travelling to Milan.”
The team’s run comes despite losing their opening three Champions League group games, including 4-0 away to Dinamo Zagreb before a 5-1 loss at Manchester City. But a 1-1 draw against Man City sparked the revival of ‘La Dea’ (The Goddess) who finished seven points behind the Premier League side in second to reach the knockout stage.
Atalanta’s confidence has been further boosted after seeing off AS Roma 2-1 in front of their home crowd on Saturday. The victory consolidated fourth place in Serie A, six points ahead of the side from the capital and bolstered their hopes of Champions League next season. “This victory gives us confidence for the next games, it was a fundamental clash to be won,” said Mario Pasalic who came off the bench and hit the match winner.
Their current form is an achievement for a club with a modest budget compared to rivals Juventus, Inter and AC Milan.
Their transformation follows the arrival of Gasperini in the summer of 2016 from Genoa.
The 62-year-old previously coached Crotone, Palermo and briefly Inter Milan, where he was sacked after a run of five winless Serie A games and just one point.