Tottenham Hotspur were unable to build on the positive momentum that they seemed to have before the international break as they lost 2-1 to Aston Villa on Sunday.
Spurs had beaten Leeds United 2-1, thanks to goals from Mathys Tel and Mohammed Kudus, before the break, and started the loss to Villa with an early goal through Rodrigo Bentancur.
It was all downhill for the Lilywhites after that impressive start to the match, though, as Unai Emery’s men came away with all three points, thanks to goals from Morgan Rogers and Emiliano Buendia.
Why Spurs must not drop Guglielmo Vicario
Some criticism may go the way of number one Guglielmo Vicario for his part in the match, as he conceded both of the shots against him and should have done better with the first goal.
As you can see in the clip above, the view from behind Morgan Rogers suggests that the Italy international was not in a good position and was then unable to stretch enough to get a glove on the shot, which was nowhere near the corner of the goal.
Vicario, though, should not be dropped by Thomas Frank for his performance against Villa, as he has been a net positive this season.
Per Sofascore, he has prevented 1.72 more goals than expected in the Premier League, which shows that he has been outstanding as shot-stopper on the whole.
A Tottenham player whose place in the starting line-up should not be as secured as Vicario’s, though, is attacking midfielder Xavi Simons, who was underwhelming on Sunday.
Why Xavi Simons is on borrowed time
The Netherlands international has started four of his five appearances for the club in the Premier League since his £52m move from RB Leipzig in the summer transfer window.
He should now be on borrowed time in the starting XI because he has not done enough in his performances as a player who is in the team to score and create goals as an attacking midfielder.
There have been flashes of quality from Simons on the ball, particularly in the win over Leeds, but he has not done enough in the final third so far.
|
25/26 Premier League |
Xavi Simons |
|---|---|
|
Appearances |
5 |
|
xG |
0.28 |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Big chances created |
1 |
|
xA |
0.57 |
|
Assists |
1 |
|
Dribble success rate |
42% |
As you can see in the table above, Simons has only provided one direct goal contribution in his first five appearances, and that was an assist from a corner.
Against Aston Villa, the Dutchman created one chance, which was a short pass for Joao Palhinha to shoot from distance, failed to produce an accurate cross, did not have a single shot on goal and to make matters worse, only won five of his 14 duels, per Sofascore.
The former PSG youngster also failed 100% of his attempted dribbles, per Sofascore. This shows that he was completely ineffective in possession for Spurs, which is why he was as bad as Vicario, who was ineffective with no saves in goal.
His lack of impact in the final thid was not down to a lack of opportunity, though, as he had several opportunities to get a shot away in space on the edge of the box, yet opted to pass the ball sideways instead of trying to test Emi Martinez on multiple occasions.
Simons’ return of 21 goals and 21 assists in two seasons with Leipzig, per Sofascore, show that he does have the ability to score and create goals on a regular basis in a number ten or wide position.
However, he has had a timid start to his career in the Premier League and needs to step up and show more intensity in the final third, to make himself a difference-maker for Frank.
At this moment in time, Simons is not doing enough on the ball and that is why he is on borrowed time in the starting XI, as the manager may have to consider dropping him out of the team if these underwhelming performances persist.
