Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank has now explained why Xavi Simons has struggled for game time in recent weeks.
Thomas Frank has been desperately trying to find his winning formula, and as a result, the Tottenham Hotspur boss has experimented with different setups and personnel in recent weeks.
In the past two games, we have seen Frank use a 4-2-2-2 formation with the Dane also tweaking his personnel, although results have still not improved.
One player who has seen his game time affected by the recent tweaks is Xavi Simons, who is yet to hit the ground running in a Tottenham shirt.
Thomas Frank explains why Xavi Simons has not been starting for Tottenham
Frank has preferred Lucas Bergvall and Archie Gray ahead of the Dutchman in recent outings, and now speaking to the official Tottenham channel, he has opened up about Simons and his minutes.
The Dane explained that Simons is highly valued within the Tottenham squad and that the staff are not concerned about his long-term trajectory, before touching on the fact that adaptation plays a role in his current situation.
He said: “There is a reason why we have got Xavi here. He is a very good player in every aspect, he has trained well in the last couple of days, in general he is training well.
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“It is not the first time a player has stepped into the Premier League and needs a bit of adaptation to hit the ground running.”
Spurs form and Xavi Simons adaptation
For a player trying to find his feet in a new league, Simons’ adaptation period is not being helped as Spurs as a team are also struggling.
The Tottenham boss is trying to adapt to being a manager in a big six side and has yet to find a system that works, which is also affecting the Dutchman.
That is not to say that Simons has not had his chance, as the 22-year-old has played 17 games for Spurs and has managed just two assists in those outings.
However, with Tottenham set to play four games in the space of ten days, we expect that he will get even more game time.