Tottenham: Xavi Simons is turning into a difficult issue to address

Having maintained a largely positive tone throughout his post-match press conference following Tottenham’s defeat to Aston Villa, Thomas Frank’s frustration finally surfaced towards the end.

“Thomas, you talk about some of the offensive problems…,” began the final question.

Frank quickly interjected: “No, not problems. I didn’t say problems.”

The wording was amended to “lacking some creativity in the final third,” before the question continued—how much responsibility does Xavi Simons bear for that?

The £52million summer signing has made eight appearances for Tottenham, without scoring. His only assist came on his debut, setting up Pape Matar Sarr from a corner.

“I think it’s the whole team,” Frank replied in defence. “Of course, it will always be the front four—today Wilson, Mo, Xavi, and Mathys—who are judged on it, which is fair. Other players came on from the bench. I liked Xavi’s personality today, especially in the first half. He wanted to get on the ball and create. He was aggressive in the press. It was a fine game.

“I have to remind myself when judging players that they’re adapting to a new club and country. I know it’s part of football, but I’ve no doubt Xavi will be good for us. Today was an average-plus game.”

That “average-plus” rating was a generous take on what was a disappointing display from Simons. In home matches where Spurs dominate possession and must unlock defences, he is expected to make a difference. At the moment, however, getting the best out of the 22-year-old has become another issue for Frank to solve.

The Dutchman struggled to influence proceedings early on, barely touching the ball in the opening 30 minutes and staying high up the pitch in his No.10 role instead of dropping deeper to get involved.

Spurs need Simons to take greater responsibility in demanding the ball when the team is struggling to create. Yet service remains a problem. Frank again paired Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha in midfield, which limited Tottenham’s ability to progress the ball forward.

As usual, Spurs concentrated their attacks down the flanks, with Frank instructing his side to deliver crosses into the box. Mohammed Kudus and Wilson Odobert saw plenty of possession as a result. While wing play is central to Frank’s tactics—and Kudus has been the team’s standout attacker—it means Tottenham rarely play to Simons’ strengths. They seldom attack through the middle, leaving him on the fringes of play.

Simons’ most notable contributions came off the ball, making four tackles in the first half and relishing the physical battle. He clashed with John McGinn after a challenge left him irritated. Physicality does not appear to be the issue for Simons. In the first half, Spurs struggled to find him; after the break, the problem was his end product.

Several times in the second half, he drifted inside from the left and opted for safe passes instead of taking on a shot. By contrast, his best performance came against Brighton last month, when he made three attempts on goal in just 30 minutes off the bench, showing confidence and purpose. In his three league starts since, he has not registered a single shot, and his self-belief seems to be waning.

Spurs did not sign Simons to play cautious, sideways passes. He was brought in to bring creativity to a midfield missing James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski.

Based on recent performances, Frank could consider giving Lucas Bergvall a chance, with the Swede offering more forward drive.

At his best, Simons is exactly the kind of player Tottenham need. For now, though, the partnership feels far from a natural fit.