Xavi Simons appalling as 8/10 teammate brilliant – Tottenham player ratings vs Chelsea
Tottenham saw their awful record against Chelsea continue as they slipped to a 1-0 defeat on Saturday evening.
The Lilywhites sat above their visitors in the early-season Premier League table prior to kick-off, but it was Enzo Maresca’s side who dominated proceedings in N17.
Tottenham have beaten Chelsea just twice in the last six years, and they suffered yet more misery against their bitter rivals, as Joao Pedro’s goal in the 34th minute proved the difference between the teams.
It was a hugely frustrating evening for Thomas Frank’s men, and with that in mind, Tottenham News rates the performances of every single Lilywhites player.
Xavi Simons appalling yet again for Spurs
Xavi Simons has had a troubled start at Tottenham since his £52million move in the summer, and it was another weak display from him on Saturday evening.
The Dutch star may have felt like the stars were aligning for him when he was brought on in place of Lucas Bergvall in the seventh minute, but he simply never got into the game, and that was emphasised when Frank withdrew him again in the 73rd minute.
The 22-year-old gave the ball away in dangerous areas on countless occasions, not least for Chelsea’s goal, when he placed Micky van de Ven under unnecessary pressure with a massively underhit back pass.
| Stats | Simons Total |
| Touches | 54 |
| Accurate Passes | 25/29 (86%) |
| Key Passes | – |
| Successful Dribbles | 1/3 (33%) |
| Duels Won | 8/16 (50%) |
| Possession Lost | 15 |
Simons’ lack of quality on the ball was matched by a real difficulty in winning his physical battles, and he came out on the right side of just 50 per cent of his duels.
Spurs need to be patient with him as he adapts to English football, but there is only so long that you can wait for a player who is so poor to have an impact.
The former RB Leipzig star looked like a boy playing against men at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, and his appalling display was worthy of nothing more than a 3/10 rating.
Guglielmo Vicario keeps Tottenham in the game
Guglielmo Vicario has been excellent for Tottenham of late, and he was at his brilliant best once again for the visit of Chelsea.
The Italian goalkeeper has bounced back from his errors earlier in the campaign in emphatic fashion, and he has certainly proven his worth in recent weeks.
He was the standout performer in an otherwise awful team performance, and the scoreline could easily have been a lot worse if not for his efforts.
Vicario made a stunning eight saves throughout the encounter, and ended the game with a goals prevented figure of 0.87.
He turned in by far the strongest display for the hosts, and was fully deserving of an 8/10 rating.
Tottenham player ratings vs Chelsea
Guglielmo Vicario – 8
Pedro Porro – 4
Kevin Danso – 5
Micky van de Ven – 4
Djed Spence – 5
Joao Palhinha – 6
Rodrigo Bentancur – 5
Mohammed Kudus – 6
Pape Sarr – 6
Lucas Bergvall – N/A
Randal Kolo Muani – 5
Substitutes
Xavi Simons – 3
Cristian Romero – 6
Richarlison – 5
Brennan Johnson – 5
Wilson Odobert – 6
Destiny Udogie – 6
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