View: Tottenham misfit could decide relegation fate with De Zerbi set to hand him big role

Xavi Simons may have tuned in to West Ham’s 4-0 victory against Wolves on Friday night.

If he did, he would have seen confirmation that Tottenham Hotspur are now inside the Premier League relegation zone. His worst fears are coming true, with Spurs two points adrift of safety and in the midst of a 13-game winless run before their trip to Sunderland.

They will also know that if they win at the Stadium of Light in Roberto De Zerbi‘s first game in charge on Sunday afternoon, they will climb out of the drop zone. For now, their fate remains very much in their hands, and Simons promises to be at the heart of whatever lies ahead.

The playmaker completed his eye-catching £51.8million move to the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last summer and started slowly. But while his performances have too often left a lot to be desired, his output in and around the penalty area has been surprisingly impressive.

That means De Zerbi will be working from a solid foundation as he looks to elevate the 22-year-old to new heights. It is no exaggeration to suggest that helping Simons fully find his feet over the coming weeks could be the difference between relegation and survival.

How can Roberto De Zerbi help Xavi Simons improve?

Simons has flitted in and out of the starting XI while registering nine goal contributions in 38 appearances across all competitions. That is a reasonable output indeed.

But supporters will hope that there is still more to come. He has been known to drift in and out of matches, failing to truly stamp his authority. In this bold new era, that must change. Simons will likely play as De Zerbi’s No 10, from whom everything good must flow.

Promisingly, De Zerbi has already impressed his Tottenham squad after taking a hands-on approach in training, focusing on how he can help his players improve individually and collectively. Simons does not need a complete overhaul, but rather minor tweaks.

Speaking ahead of his side’s trip to Wearside, the Italian was asked directly about how he can get the best of Simons, and responded by describing him as a “big talent”.

“Two parts,” he said. “One part, the focus on the ball, on the pitch, to put them in the best position, the favourite position they feel, for sure, and the mental part.”

De Zerbi then admitted Tottenham must give Simons “solutions” in possession. This has been an underlying issue that led to countless poor performances under Thomas Frank and Igor Tudor, and the No 10 has found himself stretched because of it.

While the new head coach knows he does not have the time for a radical overhaul, this simple change will certainly unlock Simons and allow him to focus on what he does best – punchy line-breaking passes and slaloming runs that will open up space for his team-mates.

There have been enough glimpses to hint at a very bright future in N17 for the ace.

It is telling that no Tottenham players have created more big chances (six) or generated a higher expected assists total (3.55) than the Dutch international, while only Mohammed Kudus (five) has registered more assists than his four in the Premier League this campaign.

How De Zerbi will use Simons

Simons will likely have relished the news of De Zerbi’s appointment. The 46-year-old typically uses a No 10, effectively guaranteeing that he will start during Spurs’ run-in.

Indeed, De Zerbi took charge of 68 top-flight matches during his stint at Brighton and used a 4-2-3-1 formation in 53 of them – a total of 78 per cent. The likelihood is that he will stick with this tried and tested shape at Spurs because of its simplicity and versatility.

His tactics revolve heavily around the use of the ball from the back and regular patterns that end with the playmaker being fed in promising positions. While this will force Simons to shoulder much of the responsibility, he has demonstrated already that he is ready.

The dire football under Frank and Tudor was the very antithesis of why Spurs splashed out on him in the first place. They were expecting flair and moments of magic. Instead, they handed one of the most talented playmakers on the continent a watching brief.

Luckily, those days are over. De Zerbi’s football is geared towards attacking and going for the win, but his tactical blueprint, once fully instilled in training, can be complex. It relies heavily on players like Simons, creative savants, to find options and create chances.

When Simons has played this season, he has more often than not impressed.

Staggeringly, he did not play a full 90 minutes in the Premier League until a 2-0 win against Brentford in December, when he also scored his first goal. It is damning that the result was also Spurs’ last home victory. Since then, both Simons and the wider club have suffered.

According to Sofascore, Simons’ dribble success rate is just 43 per cent, while he has also lost the ball 11.5 times on average per game. Clearly, there is work to do.

Despite arriving in England with his own strength and conditioning coach, who moved in with him, as well as a personal trainer, a mindset coach and a video analyst, Simons is far from the finished product. However, he holds the ability to have a decisive say in saving Spurs.

It now falls on De Zerbi to help him achieve his full potential.

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