Pundit Gary Lineker gives his honest verdict on Xavi Simons in a Tottenham shirt thus far
Summer signing Xavi Simons came on as a second-half substitute during Tottenham Hotspur’s 2-2 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion on Saturday in the Premier League.
Fans were impressed by the Dutchman’s debut in the 3-0 win over West Ham United, hoping he’d start against Villarreal in the Champions League. But, the 22-year-old wasn’t at his great in the outing against Villarreal, which perhaps resulted in Thomas Frank starting him on the bench at Brighton and Hove Albion.
Tottenham supporters finally got to see what Xavi Simons can actually offer when he came off the bench against Brighton. The creative forward left an impression at the Amex Stadium, with his second-half cameo display proving to be decisive as Spurs fought from 2-0 down to draw 2-2 and pinch a point.
As a result, Thomas Frank was full of praises for the Netherlands international’s display last weekend.
Gary Lineker gives verdict on Xavi Simons’ start to life at Spurs
Now, Gary Lineker has provided his initial thoughts on Xavi’s start to life as a Tottenham supporter. The ex-player-turned-broadcaster feels the 22-year-old has overall done well, and against Brighton, he looked a “threat”.
“I think Simons will do all right as well. He had a couple of opportunities where he perhaps could have done better with a finish, but he was busy and looked to be a threat as well,” Lineker shared his thoughts on The Rest Is Football podcast.
Frank must get the best out of Xavi
Indeed, Xavi came on off the bench and instantly made an impact. In contrast to his performances off the left in his first two outings, the Dutch playmaker was introduced in the No.10 role and his skill-set on and off the ball through the middle was there for everyone to watch. Every time he got the ball, he drove towards the Brighton defence and caused problems.
The ex-RB Leipzig star got a great opportunity to score, but his shot was very well saved by the Brighton goalkeeper Bart Verbruggen. It was the kind of creativity, vision and flair that Tottenham’s midfielders- Rodrigo Bentancur, Joao Palhinha and Lucas Bergvall- failed to provide against the Seagulls.
On the whole, Xavi’s display was positive and once again reminded Frank why he should be used centrally more. This is just the start for Xavi, and with more time, cohesion and experience on the pitch, he’d start adding goals to his game.