Simons joined Spurs over the summer after weeks of being courted by London rivals Chelsea. The attacking midfielder had established himself as one of Europe’s most creative players during his time at RB Leipzig.
He has since made 11 appearances across all competitions for Thomas Frank’s side, with his only goal contribution coming in their 3-0 Premier League win over West Ham, where he assisted Pape Sarr’s opener.
So, what is going wrong for the 22-year-old in north London?
A tactical shift under Thomas Frank
There’s a running joke that players signed from the Bundesliga can’t quite cut it in the Premier League. Germany’s top flight is a very transitional league; the Premier League is similar, but played at a much quicker pace. Players like Simons just don’t get that extra second to make a decision.
Spurs have undergone a huge transformation under Frank. Last season, under everyone’s favourite ‘mate’ Ange Postecoglou, they were attacking to a fault, giving up any defensive solidity in an attempt that often failed to even get a goal.
Frank has made them a more cohesive defensive unit. Tottenham are now visibly more organised and compact, with a physicality that can match any other Premier League side. To his credit, he has them up in third, so clearly it’s working.
Of course, as was the case with Ange, they’ve had to sacrifice something to get there. Spurs currently sits in 12th for big chances created with 17, 12th in shots on target per 90 minutes with 3.7, and 13th in xG with 10.
What they are doing well is finishing the chances they do create, averaging 1.9 goals per game and a shot conversion rate of 18.1 per cent, the highest in the league. So, Spurs are creating like a mid-table side but finishing like league winners.
Who is creating chances for Tottenham?
So far, Mohammed Kudus has been Tottenham’s main creative outlet, but that’s largely due to the fact he’s the one taking set pieces. The Ghana international has provided four Premier League assists so far and has the most accurate crosses with 19 at a rate of 28.28 per cent.
Simply put, Spurs aren’t finding Simons as much as he would like and are instead becoming more reliant on set pieces; they’ve already had 56 corners this season, level with Chelsea for the second most, but still well off Arsenal, who have had 67.
Simons has only had seven touches in the opposition box, which clearly indicates he’s not being found in the right positions; in fact, he’s often been played out on the left rather than in his preferred number ten role.
Frank has also persisted with a double pivot of Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha, who are both incredible at winning the ball, but not exactly the best at recycling possession quickly and getting the ball upfield with some intricate passing. Again, this limits Simons’ ability to create.
What is Thomas Frank saying about Simons?
Publicly, Frank has continued to stick up for the Dutch playmaker, recently comparing Simons’ struggles to those of fellow Premier League new boy Florian Wirtz, who also hasn’t quite set the world alight at Liverpool.
“Very good comparison with Wirtz, also a very good player, just like Xavi, coming into a new country, new club, new city, just need to settle and it is part of it,” Frank said last week.
“We are all getting judged every game, but we also need to see the bigger perspective. I always look for glimpses, and Xavi, I asked him to be more arriving in the box, and when I looked back at the game, he did. Was there a big eye-catching moment? No, but there were glimpses, so it’s going a little bit in the right direction.”
According to Fabrizio Romano, Frank has backed Simons privately too and is fully aware that the Dutch playmaker needs time to get used to a new league and culture, telling GIVEMESPORT that Tottenham have “no doubts” about his ability, and he will become a success in time.
Verdict
It’s hard to blame Simons entirely for his recent struggles. Tottenham’s reliance on set pieces and defensive set-up, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, isn’t really playing into what he does best. But at just 22, time is on his side — and as long as Frank keeps faith in him, Simons still has every chance to become a key player in north London.
