Xavi Simons will benefit from Roberto De Zerbi’s approach to Tottenham Hotspur training.
Simons moved to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium from RB Leipzig in a whopping £51.8million deal last summer but has endured a slow start to life at his new club.
The playmaker has rotated in and out of the starting XI while registering nine goal contributions in 38 appearances in all competitions. Clearly, he will have wanted more.
While he has shown promise during all-too fleeting glimpses, he has yet to truly find his feet in North London, with Spurs’ relegation worries compounding a tough debut campaign.
However, Simons, desperate to get back on track under De Zerbi, must now look to put all this aside in order to play a crucial part in their Premier League survival run-in.
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How can Roberto De Zerbi help Xavi Simons?
De Zerbi has made an immediate impact on his Tottenham squad, according to Alasdair Gold, with the new head coach focusing on how he can help each of his players improve.
This individual work will stand Spurs in good stead as they look to stay above the dreaded dotted line, and will also give Simons the chance to focus on his shortcomings.
The 22-year-old has been slow to adapt to the pace and physicality of the Premier League, and this is showcased in his statistics. It is clear where De Zerbi can encourage growth.
According to Sofascore, Simons’ dribble success rate is just 43 per cent, while he loses the ball 11.5 times per game. In addition, his total duels won are down to 49 per cent.
De Zerbi may ask him to bulk up, which would allow him to better hold his own. However, he is also down on goals, assists and big chances created in comparison to last season.
But on the flip side, no Tottenham players have created more big chances (six) or generated a higher expected assists total (3.55) than the diminutive Dutchman.
Additionally, only Mohammed Kudus (five) has registered more assists than Simons (four) in the top-flight this campaign, giving De Zerbi a solid foundation from which to work.
Simons has little time to impress De Zerbi
It can be argued that the attacking midfielder clearly has the creative prowess to inspire Spurs to safety, and the new manager will try his utmost to take him to new heights.
But this project must be balanced against the short-term urgency of the situation.
De Zerbi, after all, has just seven matches to save Tottenham from relegation to the Championship. Currently, they are just one point and one place above the bottom three.
The Italian has no choice but to hit the ground running, and to do just that, he will choose players he will trust to make an immediate impact. As it stands, Simons could miss out.
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