Mauricio Pochettino says if Tottenham are to win trophies, they need players focused on the team’s goals and not individual targets.
Most of Tottenham’s World Cup stars featured from the start and overcame fatigue and an inspired Newcastle team to get three points away from home.
Tottenham forward Son Heung-min landed in Indonesia on Monday as he prepares to play for South Korea at the Asian Games.
Son will be one of three overage players in the under-23 team. If South Korea win the gold medal, Son will be exempt from 21 months of military service, an obligation he is otherwise expected to start within the next two years.
“Of course our target is gold but it is a long way to get to the final,” Son said on his arrival at Bandung International Airport. “How we approach the game mentally is important. I have thought about the Asian Games a lot.”
Son missed the 2014 Asian Games because he was not released by former club Bayer Leverkusen, and Spurs are hoping for victory this time around to save them from losing Son for nearly two years.
South Korea, who will have four members of its World Cup team in the squad, are considered favourites to win the games.
At the World Cup, South Korea were knocked out in the group stage but defeated Germany 2-0, eliminating the defending champions in the process.
“We beat Germany at the World Cup when nobody expected it,” Son said. “Like that, we could lose to other Asian teams here. We have to take each game as it comes, however, and if we don’t give everything in every game then it will be tough.”
Son is not expected to play in his team’s opening group match against Bahrain on Wednesday but should be ready to face Malaysia on Friday. The final group match against Kyrgyzstan is on Monday.
Cho Hyun-woo, who was among South Korea’s best players at the World Cup, has already applied to start his military service in December but could be exempt with a gold medal.
“The World Cup is in the past now and I want to focus on the Asian Games,” Cho said. “We want to show what we are made of and Son told me he just wants to score lots of goals.”
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