Jamie Carragher thinks he has spotted Xavi Simons’ biggest problem at Tottenham despite ‘fantastic’ moments

6 hours ago 15

Jamie Carragher noticed one interesting moment during Tottenham’s 1-0 loss to Chelsea, which he believes encapsulates why Xavi Simons is struggling in the Premier League.

The Dutchman was named on the bench by Thomas Frank for the London derby, but he had to come on much earlier than expected as Lucas Bergvall had to be withdrawn due to a concussion after seven minutes.

The 22-year-old struggled to impact the game before eventually being replaced by Wilson Odobert on 72 minutes.

It was the latest in a long line of disappointing performances for Xavi, who has come under plenty of criticism over recent weeks.

Jamie Carragher identifies Xavi Simons’ main problem at Tottenham

Some pundits have said that Xavi is not powerful or quick enough for the Premier League, and Carragher noticed one moment in Spurs’ 1-0 loss on Saturday that he believes is an illustration of the former RB Leipzig star’s struggles.

The Liverpool legend referred to a moment in the second half when the Tottenham man showed impressive feet to get away from a defender, but he was dispossessed after taking too long on the ball.

Speaking about that incident, Carragher told Sky Sports (01/11/25): “You know what, it was fantastic initially, but when you’re in the Premier League, the pace and physicality of players coming back at you. Fantastic skill from Xavi Simons, then he thinks he’s got all the time in the world to run away, but you just don’t have it.

“I thought it would be Xavi Simons coming off, it won’t be nice for him, it doesn’t feel the same as he came on so early, but he’s found it tough.

“It was a perfect example that turn, he got away from someone, but before you know it, someone is back at him, and that is just the nature of the Premier League. It has been really interesting with him and Florian Wirtz too, they’re just finding it tough to get up to the speed of the Premier League.”

Thomas Frank has also compared Xavi’s ordeal with Florian Wirtz’s

Carragher is not the first one to draw a comparison between Xavi’s struggles at Spurs and Florian Wirtz’s at Liverpool following the duo’s switch from the Bundesliga in the summer.

A few days ago, Thomas Frank suggested that Xavi and the Liverpool star are getting used to the demands of the Premier League.

In a separate interview, Frank said some of the criticism levelled at Xavi has been unfair, backing the Netherlands international to deliver once he adapts to his new surroundings.