Tottenham Hotspur face Monaco in the Champions League tonight, looking to return to winning ways after the defeat to Aston Villa on home soil over the weekend.
Thomas Frank’s side will have huge expectations placed upon them in Europe this season, understandably so given their successes in the Europa League last campaign.
The Dane has already made an impressive start to life in Europe’s biggest club competition, winning one and drawing the other of their first two outings in 2025/26.
However, the meeting against the Ligue 1 outfit will present a tricky challenge, with Sebastien Pocognoli’s side holding Manchester City to a 2-2 draw at the start of the month.
If Frank is to claim another European victory as the Lilywhites boss, he will likely need one of his current first-team members to be on top form in the South of France.
Xavi Simons’ disappointing start to life at Spurs
During the summer transfer window, the Spurs hierarchy made it clear they wanted to improve the options available to them within the attacking midfield positions.
After numerous failed attempts during the window, they decided to fork out a fee in the region of £52m for the signature of Dutch international Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig.
His tally of 19 combined goals and assists across all competitions generated huge excitement, but it’s safe to say his period in North London has failed to take off to date.
The 22-year-old has only registered one assist in his first eight outings for the Lilywhites, with his transfer now starting to be called into question by numerous pundits.
Simons has only created 1.3 chances per 90 and completed just 40% of his attempted dribbles - with the latter of his two stats ranking him within the 44th percentile of all players in the Premier League.
He’s also demonstrated a lack of physicality in England’s top-flight, only being on the winning side of 38% of his duels - with only 27% of players in the division winning fewer.
He desperately needs to find his form to justify his staggering transfer fee, but Frank can aid him against Monaco by starting one other first-team member tonight.
The Spurs player who can finally get Simons firing
Throughout the first few weeks of his time in North London, Simons has operated in a variety of different roles - with most of his playing time coming in an unnatural left-wing position.
Such a situation would likely have contributed to his recent lack of impact in attacking areas, with the manager needing to utilise him in his natural number ten position.
He created nearly double the amount of chances per 90 at Leipzig last campaign, further showcasing the levels he can produce when featuring behind the striker.
The centre-forward department has also been brought into question as of late, with Richarlison failing to back the faith shown in him by the new manager.
Dominic Solanke will certainly have been the number one option for Frank, but the Englishman’s constant setbacks with ankle injuries have prevented him from consistent first-team action.
Such scenarios should see the manager hand loanee Randal Kolo Muani his first start for the Lilywhites in the clash with Monaco later on this evening.
The Frenchman has only made 24 minutes of action for the club after joining from PSG on deadline day, but a European night under the lights could present an excellent chance to stake his claim for a starting role.
Kolo Muani, who’s been labelled “phenomenal” by former boss Christian Gourcuff, scored 10 goals in just 22 appearances at Juventus last season - highlighting his clinical ability in the final third.
Such talent within attacking areas could hugely benefit Simons, with the Dutchman having the opportunity to boost his assist tally alongside the Frenchman.
After all, this is a player who, in the words of the Bundesliga website, has the "hallmarks of Thierry Henry’s game". We're yet to see that since his move but there is no time like the present.
The big-money addition has completed 1.1 crosses per 90, too, with such numbers playing perfectly into the hands of the loanee who scored three headers last campaign.
Both players have ultimately struggled to match the expectations they arrived with in North London, but that could all change tonight if Frank hands them the chance to start together.
The pair could help the side maintain their unbeaten record in Europe this campaign and bolster their chances of claiming another European title.