Alasdair Gold says he is ‘bewildered’ by Xavi Simons’ limited involvement at Tottenham Hotspur and urged Roberto De Zerbi not to follow the same path as his predecessors this season.
The Dutch attacking midfielder was left on the bench in De Zerbi’s first game in charge, a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland on Sunday, and was brought on with just five minutes of normal time remaining.
It marked a fourth Premier League game in a row in which Simons, who joined from RB Leipzig in a £50m deal last summer, was absent from the starting XI.
The 22-year-old has made 17 top-flight starts for Spurs this term, as well as another nine appearances off the bench, registering one goal and four assists.
Gold Urges De Zerbi to Start Simons
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Gold urged De Zerbi to field Simons in his first XI, admitting the Dutchman is Spurs’ ‘only fit playmaker that can create chances’ in a goal-shy side:
“I just feel like, in that scenario, that's like a 4-2-3-1, that can become a 4-3-3, it's crying out for a really creative player that can kind of play little clever through balls. It's Xavi Simons. Of course, it’s Xavi Simons.
“It just seems so obvious, but for some reason, like Frank, like Tudor, De Zerbi clearly must have just watched training over the past week and decided ‘No, not for me.’
“Despite the fact, on Friday, he was calling him a big talent at his pre-match press conference, I just can't get my head around it.
“Spurs need to score goals. Xavi is their only fit playmaker that can create chances. He has created more chances than anyone else at the club this season.
“And if you've got Madison and Kulusevski out, he is your go-to man, not someone you bring on in the 85th minute of a match. He has to be on there.”
Simons’ last start for Spurs came in their 3-2 win over Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last month, with the Dutchman scoring twice and registering his first brace for the club.
The 22-year-old registered 19 goal involvements in 33 appearances in all competitions for Leipzig last season, including 10 goals and seven assists in the Bundesliga.
Gold ‘Bewildered’ by Xavi Simons’ Absence
Gold also singled out Simons and Mathys Tel as among the few players whose confidence appears to have been largely unaffected in recent games, with Spurs potentially heading towards relegation.
“The Xavi thing just bewilders me. Like I said, they need to be proactive rather than reactive. He's one of the few players with Tel, like I said earlier, that will do that. He will take the game to the opposition.
“I don't feel like he and Tel are really players that the confidence hits quite as much, they've got a lot of self-belief. Yes, they'll make mistakes. I don't feel like they let it affect them.
“And look, of course, three head coaches in a row not seeming to trust him does reflect on him as well, Xavi.
“But I feel like in a season when so little has actually worked, maybe breaking away from that norm could be the way to go.”
Winless in their last 14 Premier League games, Tottenham next host De Zerbi’s former club Brighton on Saturday in another crucial game for their survival chances.
The north London side are two points off safety heading into the fixture, after both relegation rivals West Ham and Nottingham Forest picked up points at the weekend.