Thomas Frank drops Xavi Simons in five changes – Tottenham predicted XI vs Chelsea
Thomas Frank is in need of a win against Chelsea after a disappointing result in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
Newcastle United dominated Tottenham in a 2-0 victory in the Carabao Cup at St. James’ Park on 29 October.
While Frank has an abysmal record against Newcastle, the defeat reflects the Spurs’ inconsistency this period, winning seven and losing four games in all competitions this season.
But in football, things carry on moving, and Tottenham will need to pick themselves up when they welcome Chelsea at home in the Premier League on 1 November.
Mathys Tel to replace Richarlison after disastrous Carabao Cup performance
Richarlison was heavily criticised for his performance against Newcastle, which hardly comes as a surprise given that it was disastrous from beginning to end.
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Indeed, the Brazilian took four shots, three of which were on target, according to Sofascore.
At first glance, that doesn’t seem too bad, and one could conclude that Aaron Ramsdale had an incredible performance.
And yes, that is all true, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that Richarlison arrived late to at least three excellent crosses delivered into the box.
His passing wasn’t all that impressive either:
Mathys Tel showed more promise in 12 minutes than Richarlison had all game when he was substituted on, completing 100 per cent of his passes. As a result, the young striker will likely replace the Brazilian against Chelsea on Saturday.
While Randal Kolo Muani is an option, given Frank’s cautious approach all season, he’s likely to go with Tel, who’s played more minutes this season.
Brennan Johnson actually had his first good game in a while for Spurs against Newcastle and could’ve had a couple of assists if Richarlison was more clinical.
As a result, Frank could move him back onto the left wing ahead of Lucas Bergvall, who would be demoted to the bench with Mohammed Kudus returning to the right wing.
Meanwhile, Xavi Simons wasn’t half bad against the Magpies, completing 100 per cent of his dribbles and making two key passes. However, the Dane could opt for a more defensive approach in a move which would see Simons enter the field as a substitute.
This would result in Frank returning to a 4-3-3 formation rather than the 4-2-3-1 used against Newcastle, with Joao Palhinha returning to the midfield from the defence, as well as Rodrigo Bentancur, Pape Matar Sarr retaining their starting spots.
Micky van de Ven will likely come in for Palhinha as centre-back, and fans will be pleased to see Guglielmo Vicario replace Antonin Kinsky, given the latter’s unconvincing display.
Newcastle game highlights what Thomas Frank must change against Chelsea
Tottenham struggled to create meaningful chances against Newcastle in what has been a recurring issue for the Lillywhites.
Indeed, Spurs generated 0.94 expected goals against the Magpies, with their best chance of the game being an attempt from Sarr on goal outside of the box.
While Kudus has been Tottenham’s best creator this season and his absence was no doubt felt, the team should still be able to create with the likes of Simons and Bergvall in the midfield.
Chelsea are a strong attacking team, creating around 2.8 big chances per game and keeping the game level would be a tough ask for the Lilywhites.
As a result, Frank will need to organise Spurs in a formation which guarantees goals on Saturday.