Tottenham continued their strong Premier League run with a 3-0 win away at Everton on Sunday afternoon, hoisting them into the top four – but Xavi Simons’ performance left a lot to be desired.
Tottenham ran riot on Merseyside to hand Everton their first Premier League defeat at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, with a first-half brace from defender Micky Van de Ven giving them a commanding lead before Pape Matar Sarr’s late header wrapped up the win.
It equalled Tottenham’s biggest win this season, and similarly extended their unbeaten away record in the Premier League.
But Thomas Frank may be disappointed with Xavi Simons, who has failed to produce for the most part, after a £52million move to Tottenham from RB Leipzig earlier in the season.
Ashley Young told Xavi Simons he must do more for Tottenham this season
Simons had started four of his first five games for Tottenham, grabbing an assist on his debut but failing to make much else count. Tottenham fans have been wary of Simons, who performed poorly against Aston Villa last week.
That remains his only goal contribution for the club, and going into the clash against Everton, more was expected of the Dutchman going forward.
Ashley Young, on Sky Sports’ coverage of Sunday’s fixtures, stated that more was expected of Simons, especially going forward against the Toffees.
The former England star said: “He’s come to the best league in the world. So, you know, it’s going to take time for him to settle in.
“But I think that once he gets to know the players more and plays more and more games, he can settle in fabulously well.
“He’s a fantastic player — everyone knows that. He’s got the know-how to produce that, and I think that’s what the manager is looking for.
“I suppose the problem, from a Tottenham point of view, is when you look at the touch map from the last game against Villa — his touches were everywhere bar in the penalty area.
“It feels like he just needs something to go his way, because he has shown some really good moments. But again, I think there are a lot of things going forward that they need to improve on.
“Playing that number 10 role, this should be a dream for him today.”
However, Simons failed to perform and having been brought off before the likes of Mohammed Kudus and Brennan Johnson, it was a huge sign to where he stands under Thomas Frank.
Statistics show Xavi Simons has been struggling despite Tottenham brilliance
The statistics don’t lie when it comes to Xavi Simons’ performance. Despite Simons’ good form at RB Leipzig,
According to Sofascore, the Dutchman failed to have a single shot at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, and he failed to make any key passes or crosses, which isn’t enough for someone of his creative responsibility.
Furthermore, he only had 38 touches of the ball, with no successful dribbles from two attempts, and he lost possession nine times.
The only statistic that goes in his favour was that 87 percent of his passes in the Everton half were successful, but given he was hooked after an hour, there is little to suggest that they were of any note.
With Mathys Tel, Richarlison and Wilson Odobert all waiting in the wings, the youngster must do more to keep his place, especially given Simons was previously branded as ‘world-class’.