It is still going to be a matter of months, if at all this season, that James Maddison makes his triumphant return to the Tottenham Hotspur lineup, and as the losses continue to pile up and the service for the strikers continues to sag, the former Leiceser City star is only being missed more and more.
Tottenham did spend big on a new No. 10 this past summer transfer window, but as time passes, Xavi Simons is only showing that he belongs more as an attacking No. 8 rather than a true creative 10. His average of 1.3 key passes per game would be strong for an 8 but is below par for a top Premier League team in the 10 position.
Simons has recorded multiple key passes in a game just once in his last four Premier League outings, as his performances and Spurs as a whole have slipped again lately, undoing a brief period of time in which it looked like the Dutchman was finally clicking.
Xavi Simons isn't a creative force yet
Meanwhile, Maddison was an extraordinary creator for Tottenham. Compared to Simons's four assists in the Premier League this season, Maddison had seven and nine in his first two seasons with Spurs, averaging an outstanding 2.4 key passes per game in the 2023/24 campaign back when Spurs were last good.
Now, Maddison is not far and away the better player to Simons and actually only averaged the same number of key passes per game (1.3) last season as Simons is this season. But Maddison was also dragged down on a per game basis by not actually starting every game, which artificially deflates the average.
Anyone watching Simons and Maddison can tell that the latter is more creative and refined technically with his passing in the final third. Simons will imrpove in that regard with age and experience, but if anything, this season has reminded Tottenham supporters about the learning curve in the Premier League, especially when it comes to reading and understanding the game.