Even though Tottenham got off to a winning start in this season’s Champions League on Tuesday night, Spurs fans raised their concern about the position of Xavi Simons.
Tottenham kickstarted the league phase of the Champions League with three points after a 1-0 victory at home to Spanish opposition Villarreal.
The difference between the sides was a comical own goal from Villarreal goalkeeper Luiz Junior in the 4th minute. Even though Spurs couldn’t click into top gear after that, they yet again showed signs of their new defensive resilience under Thomas Frank’s management.
Summer signing Xavi Simons, 22, started on the left during the midweek win in Europe. While the Dutch playmaker did produce a few eye-catching moments with the ball at his feet, he wasn’t at his dazzling best, along with most of his teammates.
The truth is that Simons was fortunate not to be sent off because he committed an obvious foul when he was already on a yellow card, but the referee decided to let him off the hook.
Tottenham fans insist Xavi Simons shouldn’t play on the wing
The major talking point on social media from Spurs’ win over Villarreal was the performance of Simons. According to supporters on X, the 22-year-old attacker needs to be moved into a more central position because he doesn’t suit a wide role.
One fan wrote: “Xavi Simons is so needed in the middle. He isn’t a winger.”
“Simons is begging to be a 10,” another commented.
One supporter posted: “Time to bring on an actual winger and move Simons to that 10 position.”
“I want to see Simons down the middle. He isn’t a winger,” another claimed.
At RB Leipzig, Simons proved he can be effective as a winger or a No.10. However, we agree with the Spurs fanbase that his best role is in the central pocket behind a striker, where he can knit everything together a lot easier.
Spurs boss Frank hailed Simons after his promising club debut last week in the Premier League victory against West Ham.
It’s obvious that he’s joined with plenty of technical ability, vision and ambition. We’ve already seen enough to suggest he can be an important player this season, but it will be interesting to see if he stays put on the wing.
Xavi Simons statistics against Villarreal
As you see below, Simons made a decent impact on the Champions League stage against Villarreal without being at his best.
| Minutes played | Goals | Assists | Total shots | Chances created | Accurate passes | Successful dribbles | Was fouled | Match rating |
| 77 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 25/33 (76%) | 2/4 (50%) | 2 | 7.2 |
Lucas Bergvall, who excelled against Villarreal, was popping up in central pockets as an attacking midfielder. Therefore, he may need to drop a bit deeper if we are to see Simons in a No.10 position further down the line.
It’s a nice dilemma for Frank to have moving forward because he’s got plenty of talented attackers in his squad.
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