Tottenham Hotspur took an early lead against Aston Villa at the weekend, with Thomas Frank\u2019s focus on quick starts proving effective once again. However, Spurs failed to capitalise on that advantage as Unai Emery\u2019s side grew stronger and ultimately secured the win. Tottenham\u2019s poor home form continues to be a major concern.<\/p>\n
A lack of creativity remains a clear issue for the North London club, though optimism persists as James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski continue their recovery from long-term injuries.<\/p>\n
Premier League 25\/26 – xG Leaders<\/p>\n
Team Goals Scored xG Total<\/p>\n
(1) Crystal Palace 12 17.1
\n(2) Man United 11 14.9
\n(3) Man City 17 14.4
\n(4) Arsenal 15 13.6
\n(5) Liverpool 14 13.6
\n(14) Tottenham 14 8.3<\/p>\n
Data via FBref<\/p>\n
While Tottenham rely heavily on their creative midfielders, Xavi Simons, who was brought in to make a difference, has yet to deliver the expected impact.<\/p>\n
Xavi Simons\u2019 Start at Tottenham
\nSimons, 22, joined from RB Leipzig in the summer for around \u00a351 million. The Dutch international arrived with a strong reputation, having registered 22 goals and 24 assists across two seasons in Germany. With Maddison and Kulusevski close to returning, Simons may soon face competition for his place and could be deployed in a wider role.<\/p>\n
However, with Mikey Moore currently out on loan at Rangers, that position may not remain open for long.<\/p>\n
The Spurs Teenager Eyeing Mikey Moore\u2019s Number
\nAt just 18, Moore has already made 21 senior appearances for Tottenham, scoring once and assisting twice. Touted as having \u201cworld-class\u201d potential, he caught the attention of former manager Ange Postecoglou.<\/p>\n
During Tottenham\u2019s Europa League campaign last season, Moore netted his first senior goal against IF Elfsborg, earning widespread praise. Meanwhile, Simons is still adapting to the Premier League, managing just one assist in eight appearances since joining.<\/p>\n
Praised by journalist Fabrizio Romano as a \u201csuperstar\u201d prospect, Moore\u2019s energetic and creative style has impressed scouts. Despite a challenging spell at Rangers, largely due to the club\u2019s internal struggles, the England U19 captain continues to shine at youth level.<\/p>\n
Primarily operating from the left flank, his blistering pace and sharp dribbling make him a threat to defenders. His youth-level statistics underline his potential, having produced 17 goals and 12 assists in just 22 U18 Premier League matches.<\/p>\n
Mikey Moore \u2013 Club Stats<\/p>\n
Club\/Level Apps Goals (Assists)<\/p>\n
Tottenham U18 24 19 (13)
\nTottenham 21 1 (2)
\nRangers 7 0 (1)
\nTottenham U21 5 2 (2)
\nTottenham U19 5 0 (0)<\/p>\n
Data via Transfermarkt<\/p>\n
Currently, Moore ranks among the top 16% of attacking midfielders and wingers across Europe\u2019s top five leagues for assists per 90 minutes, according to FBref. His creativity could be exactly what Tottenham need as Simons struggles to find his rhythm.<\/p>\n
While Simons is a gifted midfielder who may yet settle, Moore\u2019s unique blend of flair and intelligence sets him apart. Youth scout Jacek Kulig has described him as \u201cone of the most talented players of his generation in Europe,\u201d and Spurs expect him to play a key role under Frank in the coming years.<\/p>\n
Postecoglou previously praised Moore\u2019s maturity and tactical awareness for his age, while Maddison once compared his ball-carrying ability to Neymar\u2019s\u2014skillful, composed, and stylish.<\/p>\n
This season\u2019s loan spell at Rangers has been a tough test, with the Scottish club struggling for form and sitting well behind league leaders Hearts.<\/p>\n
There remains the possibility of Simons and Moore coexisting in Tottenham\u2019s attack, but for now, with Kulusevski and Maddison sidelined, the competition for creativity is open.<\/p>\n
Simons received criticism for his recent display against Aston Villa, earning a 5\/10 rating from football.london, highlighting the challenge he faces to cement his role.<\/p>\n
Thomas Frank\u2019s early tenure has shown promise, but creative consistency remains a hurdle. If Simons continues to falter, Moore could soon return and stake his claim for a starting position\u2014a potential future star ready to rise on the Premier League stage.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Tottenham Hotspur took an early lead against Aston Villa at the weekend, with Thomas Frank\u2019s focus on quick starts proving effective once again. However, Spurs failed to capitalise on that advantage as Unai Emery\u2019s side grew stronger and ultimately secured the win. Tottenham\u2019s poor home form continues to be a major concern. A lack of …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":52428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-52495","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SEI267543350.jpeg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52495","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/18"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=52495"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52495\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":52498,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/52495\/revisions\/52498"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/52428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=52495"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=52495"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/eplbanter.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=52495"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}