Xavi Simons slammed on MOTD after footage emerges of what he did in Tottenham draw vs Brighton
Tottenham failed to secure all three points at the American Express Stadium on Saturday.
Spurs came back against Brighton to salvage a point in a 2-2 draw in the Premier League.
Despite an impressive debut for Tottenham against West Ham, Xavi Simons came on as a substitute against the Seagulls after a disappointing performance during Spurs’ win over Villarreal in the UEFA Champions League.
The Dutchman made a decent impact on the game, but not all were happy about his performance.
Xavi Simons miss criticised on MOTD
Richarlison had himself to blame during Tottenham’s draw to Brighton despite netting their comeback goal.
However, Simons was the talk of the town after the game. Partly because of how he changed the game once he was substituted on, but also due to his miss towards the backend of the match.
| Minutes played | 29 |
| Expected goals | 0.25 |
| Expected assists | 0.06 |
| Accurate passes | 16/17 (94%) |
| Key passes | 1 |
| Accurate long balls | 1 (1) |
| Shots on target | 1 |
| Shots off target | 1 |
| Ground duels won | 4 (2) |
Mohammed Kudus laid it on a silver platter for Simons with a cross into the area. But the attacking midfielder, who took the shot one time, dragged the ball wide.
Speaking on Match of the Day on 20 September, Danny Murphy stressed that it wasn’t good enough from Simons.
He said: “Simons there should do better with his technical ability.”
How did Xavi Simons perform against Brighton?
On the whole, Simons had a positive influence on the game once he entered the pitch.
Coming on for Rodrigo Bentancur, in the 29 minutes played, the midfielder took three shots on goal. He also won 50 per cent of his ground duels and completed half of his dribbles.
Furthermore, 100 per cent of his long balls were accurate for Tottenham while he registered one key pass.
His intervention outlined several key takeaways for Thomas Frank. In hindsight, he should have started the game.
Indeed, Simons’ performance provided Spurs with a much-needed attacking boost, where it looked like the Lilywhites could get something more than a point out of the game.
But it also showed what many Tottenham fans had already suspected: Simons is lethal in the midfield. The attacking midfielder looked more comfortable on the ball throughout the game and was able to dictate the tempo in ways he was unable to before.
As such, the draw should act as a learning curve for Frank in more ways than one.
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