Arsenal man tells impatient Spurs fans and Ange Postecoglou how to get the best out of Tottenham Top-class star if they want to make the Top 4 after player drops negative record in Aston Villa defeat.

Freddie Ljungberg has reacted to being told that no player in the Premier League has been flagged offside more times than Tottenham Hotspur captain Son Heung-min.

Ljungberg was speaking on Monday Night Football (broadcast on 27/11; 18:56) as he suggested that the 31-year-old needs more time to adapt to his current role in Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Son Heung-min certainly had an eventful afternoon against Aston Villa on Sunday. The Tottenham captain had the ball in the net on three occasions. However, he was flagged offside three times.

Freddie Ljungberg reacts to Son Heung-min statistic:

Son has done superbly since being named as Spurs’ new captain. And his role became even more important following Harry Kane’s departure in the summer transfer window.

He has gone on to score eight goals in the Premier League. But perhaps he could have had so many more if he was a little better at beating the offside trap.

In fact, no player has been called offside more often this season. But Freddie Ljungberg defended the Tottenham man when that statistic was put to him.

“I think he needs to trust his speed a bit more,” he told Monday Night Football. “You can go short and then go. He has to be more clever about it. And maybe I’m a positive human-being, but give him a bit of time. It’s totally different to play as a winger or playing as a nine.”

Spurs can take positives from defeat:

Certainly, Sunday’s clash with Aston Villa could have been so different on another day. The likes of Destiny Udogie and Dejan Kulusevski missed glorious chances early on. And there were a few occasions when Spurs lost their composure in the final third.

Son was the standout in the final third. But even the £22 million forward missed a golden opportunity, not managing to salvage Brennan Johnson’s cross which went slightly behind him. Fortunately for Johnson, the flag going up spared his blushes somewhat.

What will encourage Ange Postecoglou is that his side are dealing with so many injuries and suspensions, and yet, they went toe to toe with one of the best teams in the division right now.

And while Son is fit and available, Tottenham have always got a chance.