Xavi Simons started on the bench for Tottenham vs. Sunderland.
Tottenham Hotspur were narrowly beaten 1-0 by Sunderland on Sunday, as Roberto De Zerbi’s reign in North London kicked off in the worst possible manner.
Spurs went down to Nordi Mukiele’s second-half effort, albeit a heavy deflection off Micky van de Ven. 10 minutes after Sunderland’s opener, Cristian Romero collided heavily with Antonin Kinsky. The duo were seen grimacing in pain as the physios rushed to the field. Kinsky was given the go-ahead to continue after concussion checks, but Romero couldn’t continue. The Tottenham skipper was in tears and moved gingerly to the touchline, with Kevin Danso replacing the injured Argentine.
If it wasn’t strikingly obvious anyway, the game against Sunderland further documented Tottenham’s problems in attack. De Zerbi’s decision to go with Dominic Solanke, Richarlison and Randal Kolo Muani as the front three didn’t work out. A lack of creativity and guile in the final third was telling, and fans were baffled to see Xavi Simons enter the fray in the 86th minute with the Lilywhites trailing 1-0.
Roberto De Zerbi explains his decision behind Xavi Simons’ late substitution
Sky Sports reporter Michael Bridge backed Xavi Simons to have a big role to play under De Zerbi in Tottenham’s hunt for survival. However, the Italian tactician decided to bench the 22-year-old in his first game in charge, opting for a midfield three of Lucas Bergvall, Archie Gray and Conor Gallagher.
Despite the likes of Gallagher, Richarlison and Solanke enduring forgettable afternoons in Wearside, De Zerbi chose to wait until four minutes from time to bring on Simons. When asked about the reasoning behind his decision not to sub on Simons early with Spurs trailing, De Zerbi told the club’s official media:
“Yes, why? Why? Because I changed three players, then after Romero’s injury, there were on the pitch Kolo Muani and Udogie. I didn’t know when Udogie could finish, the energy to play, just for it. Without Romero’s injury, Xavi would have come on before.”
Xavi Simons must start vs. Brighton
Simons entered the proceedings very late, and by then, the game had already gone out of Tottenham’s grasp. He did get around 15 minutes to make an impact, but for the Dutchman, who has been struggling with confidence and rhythm, it was too little for him.
The 22-year-old has not quite hit the heights at N17 just yet since moving from RB Leipzig in 2025. We’ve witnessed flashes of quality, but the output of four goals and five assists in all competitions is extremely underwhelming from a talented prospect like Simons. There is clearly a player in the Netherlands international, and it is now on De Zerbi to get the best out of him, which his predecessors Igor Tudor and Thomas Frank failed to do.
De Zerbi must tweak his tactics and hand Simons a start against Brighton at home at the weekend. With Mohammed Kudus ruled out for the rest of the season, Simons is the only player in the current squad who can create something out of nothing. The Dutch playmaker offers something that Spurs don’t have in their side, and our gaffer needs to hand him a start if he wants to retain the club’s Premier League status.