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Xavi Simons will be hoping to start for Tottenham against Arsenal, with the attacking midfielder showing his new boss exactly what he wants to see
In a period of doom and gloom for Tottenham, Xavi Simons has perhaps been one of the bright sparks.
The attacking midfielder made the move to north London from RB Leipzig in the summer in a deal worth £51million. After initially seeming to struggle to adapt to life in the Premier League, the 22-year-old's performances improved over the past few weeks and he now has three goals and six assists to his name.
His form was not enough to save Thomas Frank, however, as the Dane was sacked from his role as head coach last Wednesday after eight months in charge following a 2-1 home defeat to Newcastle, which extended the north London club’s winless top-flight run to eight matches.
Spurs were quick to appoint Igor Tudor until the end of the season and subsequently gave players five days off before they met up with the new boss at Hotspur Way on Monday. With many taking the time to relax or jet off across the world, Simons instead stayed in London and used the time to get in more training sessions.
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Simons' mindset will likely impress Tudor and supporters, with Spurs needing to show fight in the coming months with the club 16th in the Premier League. The North London Derby against Arsenal is up next for Tudor's side and Simons looks in line to start the contest at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“First priority is to give everything the team needs in these moments," Tudor said after his arrival. "The team need, I believe, first of all, to get some confidence, to get some courage, but also, in same way, the concrete things in the pitch.
“Of course, I’m coming here knowing that situation is not easy. There is no time to find excuses. What I said from the first day here, each of us, need to give something something more, something extra.”
Tottenham have slumped to 16th place, five points above the relegation zone, and Tudor faces a tough mission in his first game in charge, against title-chasing Arsenal at home on Sunday. “The position of the club in this moment is one that nobody can accept,” Tudor said. “Every Tottenham fan cannot accept the situation. We are aware of that. But it’s not enough to just be aware of that.
“The situation is not easy because we have a lot of injured players, so we need first to find the best system to suit the players that are available in this moment. Maybe this can sound strange, but I believe that the thing that we need to be focused on is the training. So the training from today, that’s the key. The coach needs to show the path, where is the way we want to go, how we want to go, and the players need to accept this.”
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