{"id":1418420,"date":"2025-12-10T16:25:32","date_gmt":"2025-12-10T16:25:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?post_type=features&#038;p=1418420"},"modified":"2025-12-10T16:25:33","modified_gmt":"2025-12-10T16:25:33","slug":"tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025","status":"publish","type":"features","link":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"Xavi Simons analysis: How Tottenham&#8217;s record signing has turned the corner and gotten off the mark"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>After a tough start, Xavi Simons is enjoying, far and away, his best run of form with a Tottenham shirt.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When the Dutchman marked his Spurs debut with an assist in a 3-0 win over West Ham, it felt like he was going to be Premier League-ready from the start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>However, his performances weren&#8217;t so linear. Thomas Frank deployed him on the left wing initially, but also tested him in more central areas and went back and forth between these roles. It was a valid attempt to try and see where Simons would fit best, but he struggled to find form.<\/p>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"article-page__title\">Dabble sign-up offer: <b data-stringify-type=\"bold\">Bet \u00a310+ &amp; Receive \u00a310 In Free Bets<\/b><\/h2>\r\n<p><strong>Not signed up to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/dabble-sign-up-offer\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Dabble<\/a> yet? Here's how to claim the <b data-stringify-type=\"bold\">Bet \u00a310+ &amp; Receive \u00a310 In Free Bets<\/b> welcome offer:<\/strong><\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n<li>Sign up to Dabble through this <a href=\"\/en\/go\/dabble?q=gb-all-con-wof-s-spo\">link<\/a><\/li>\r\n<li>Register your account with accurate personal details<\/li>\r\n<li>Place your first bet of \u00a310 or more<\/li>\r\n<li>Receive your \u00a310 in free bets when your qualifying bet has setted<\/li>\r\n<li>Use your Free Bet on any eligible sportsbook market within 7 days<\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p><a href=\"\/en\/go\/dabble?q=gb-all-con-wof-s-spo\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-1423518 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/12083841\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-083822-300x250.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"250\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/12083841\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-083822-300x250.png 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/12083841\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-083822-320x267.png 320w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/12083841\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-083822-240x200.png 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/12083841\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-083822-72x60.png 72w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/12083841\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-083822-150x125.png 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/12083841\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-083822-40x33.png 40w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2026\/01\/12083841\/Screenshot-2026-01-12-083822.png 712w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>#AD 18+ 7-day free bet expiry. Stake not returned. Promotional Terms Apply.\u00a0<a class=\"c-link\" href=\"http:\/\/gambleaware.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"http:\/\/GambleAware.org\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">GambleAware.org<\/a><\/p>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now though, things have seemingly changed and he looks way more comfortable than before. He has two goals and one assist to his name in the last two games, as opposed to just two assists in the previous 18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>How has Xavi Simons played during his best run of form for Tottenham?<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-energy-confidence-and-hard-work\" data-level=\"3\">Energy, confidence and hard work<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-running-the-show\" data-level=\"3\">Running the show<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-energy-confidence-and-hard-work\">Energy, confidence and hard work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It might be just a two-game spell, but Xavi Simons looks &#8216;reborn&#8217; at Tottenham. His movements look more fluid and he is playing with much more energy and confidence than before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His first goal for Spurs actually came right after losing possession. But he battled to win it back and then performed a brilliant solo run against Brentford&#8217;s defence holding off Yehor Yarmoliuk who was harassing him the whole time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n<p>This has actually been a constant in his last few matches. Simons hasn&#8217;t been shutting opponents down &#8211; in fact he has been dribbled past five times considering the Slavia Prague and Brentford games. But he&#8217;s shown more combativity than before.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table aligncenter is-style-stripes\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><thead><tr><th>Stat<\/th><th>Last 2 games<\/th><th>Previous 18 games<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td>Tackles + fouls + times<br>dribbled past (per 90&#8242;)<\/td><td><strong>4.5<\/strong><\/td><td>3.5<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>This work rate has probably pleased Thomas Frank. The Danish manager has played Simmons for the full 90 minutes in both of these last two matches. That had only happened once all season (vs Newcastle in the Carabao Cup).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>So it seems like the No.7 has earned the boss&#8217; trust. It had come to a point previously in which the the 22-year-old was subbed off against Chelsea despite coming on for injured Lucas Bergvall early on, back in November. This definitely doesn&#8217;t sound like something that would happen these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-running-the-show\">Running the show<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Xavi Simons has had total freedom to roam lately. Thomas Frank hasn&#8217;t given him a set position and instead relies on him going near the ball, no matter where it is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"819\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161336\/XaviSimonsHeatMap10122025-819x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1418453\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161336\/XaviSimonsHeatMap10122025-819x1024.jpg 819w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161336\/XaviSimonsHeatMap10122025-240x300.jpg 240w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161336\/XaviSimonsHeatMap10122025-768x960.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161336\/XaviSimonsHeatMap10122025-1229x1536.jpg 1229w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161336\/XaviSimonsHeatMap10122025-214x267.jpg 214w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161336\/XaviSimonsHeatMap10122025-160x200.jpg 160w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161336\/XaviSimonsHeatMap10122025-48x60.jpg 48w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161336\/XaviSimonsHeatMap10122025-120x150.jpg 120w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161336\/XaviSimonsHeatMap10122025-32x40.jpg 32w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161336\/XaviSimonsHeatMap10122025.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 819px) 100vw, 819px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>He also receives a lot of passes facing his own goal. Sometimes it leads to opponents easily regaining possession, but he has tremendous technical skill. His first-time flicks are great to help the team get out of the defensive half and progress as a unit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Maybe his light weight (around 130 lbs\/58 kg) was one of the reasons why Frank initially tested him out wide. It could have been a way to &#8216;protect&#8217; him from the Premier League phisicality upon his arrival, trying to ease his adaptation. But Simons has excelled down the middle despite the large number of physical confrontation and bumps he receives along the way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He has drawn 3.0 fouls per 90 minutes in the last two games. That&#8217;s a higher average than in the previous 18 for Spurs (2.5).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Still, it&#8217;s important to acknowledge that this adjustment in itself wasn&#8217;t necessarily the reason why his performances have been better. Simons has had freedom in the number 10 role before with a different outcome. But it seems to be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simons-brighton-vs-tottenham\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">the way to get the best out of him indeed<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Another important factor is how much his teammates are looking for him. Of Xavi Simons&#8217; three highest tallies of touches in a game for Tottenham, two have been precisely these last ones.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161754\/XaviSimonsTouchesRanking10122025-1024x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1418454\" srcset=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161754\/XaviSimonsTouchesRanking10122025-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161754\/XaviSimonsTouchesRanking10122025-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161754\/XaviSimonsTouchesRanking10122025-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161754\/XaviSimonsTouchesRanking10122025-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161754\/XaviSimonsTouchesRanking10122025-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161754\/XaviSimonsTouchesRanking10122025-267x267.jpg 267w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161754\/XaviSimonsTouchesRanking10122025-200x200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161754\/XaviSimonsTouchesRanking10122025-60x60.jpg 60w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161754\/XaviSimonsTouchesRanking10122025-40x40.jpg 40w, https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10161754\/XaviSimonsTouchesRanking10122025.jpg 1620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>He even led Spurs in this department last time out in the Champions League. Before that, only centre-backs and full-backs had led the team in touches in a single game in 2025-26.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It looks like Simons has turned the corner and is ready to show exactly why Daniel Levy payed over \u00a350 million to snatch him from RB Leipzig.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>His form could also do the same for Tottenham as a club, who will now look to win three in a row for the first time this season when they face Nottingham Forest away next Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n<h3><strong>Read more:<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/news\/\"><strong>Latest football news<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football betting tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best betting sites<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/betting-sites\/best-free-bet-offers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Best free bet offers<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/bet\/football-tips\/accumulator\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>Football accumulator tips<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>After a tough start, Xavi Simons is enjoying, far and away, his best run of form with a Tottenham shirt. When the Dutchman marked his Spurs debut with an assist in a 3-0 win over West Ham, it felt like he was going to be Premier League-ready from the start. However, his performances weren&#8217;t so&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3354,"featured_media":1418455,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_focuskw":"","_yoast_wpseo_title":"","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"After a tough start in England, Xavi Simons is enjoying, far and away, his best run of form with a Tottenham shirt.","footnotes":""},"tags":[],"features-category":[],"squawka-category":[],"class_list":["post-1418420","features","type-features","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":{"external_featured_image_url":"","hide_featured_image_pattern":false},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v27.1 (Yoast SEO v27.1.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Xavi Simons analysis: How Tottenham&#039;s record signing has turned the corner and gotten off the mark | Squawka | EN<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"After a tough start in England, Xavi Simons is enjoying, far and away, his best run of form with a Tottenham shirt.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Xavi Simons analysis: How Tottenham&#039;s record signing has turned the corner and gotten off the mark\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"After a tough start in England, Xavi Simons is enjoying, far and away, his best run of form with a Tottenham shirt.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Squawka | EN\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-12-10T16:25:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10162035\/XaviSimonsTottenham10122025_ID3DAABKP-scaled.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"2560\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1707\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@squawka\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Estimated reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"NewsArticle\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Guilherme Mirra\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/11e48d44f9c6c2a722b00a0145e36b75\"},\"headline\":\"Xavi Simons analysis: How Tottenham&#8217;s record signing has turned the corner and gotten off the mark\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-10T16:25:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-10T16:25:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/\"},\"wordCount\":747,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10162035\/XaviSimonsTottenham10122025_ID3DAABKP-scaled.jpg\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"accessibilityFeature\":[\"tableOfContents\"]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/\",\"name\":\"Xavi Simons analysis: How Tottenham's record signing has turned the corner and gotten off the mark | Squawka | EN\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10162035\/XaviSimonsTottenham10122025_ID3DAABKP-scaled.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-12-10T16:25:32+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-12-10T16:25:33+00:00\",\"description\":\"After a tough start in England, Xavi Simons is enjoying, far and away, his best run of form with a Tottenham shirt.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10162035\/XaviSimonsTottenham10122025_ID3DAABKP-scaled.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10162035\/XaviSimonsTottenham10122025_ID3DAABKP-scaled.jpg\",\"width\":2560,\"height\":1707},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Squawka\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Features\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":3,\"name\":\"Xavi Simons analysis: How Tottenham&#8217;s record signing has turned the corner and gotten off the mark\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/\",\"name\":\"Squawka | EN\",\"description\":\"Football News, Stats, and More...\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/11e48d44f9c6c2a722b00a0145e36b75\",\"name\":\"Guilherme Mirra\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-GB\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0cfb69c02f248f6793db72e9d90188663c8e75e4abe83aea6cf1ea2b108f3e76?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0cfb69c02f248f6793db72e9d90188663c8e75e4abe83aea6cf1ea2b108f3e76?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Guilherme Mirra\"},\"description\":\"Guilherme Mirra is a tactical analyst with an FC Barcelona Innovation Hub certificate who has been working with numbers and statistics since getting his degree in Journalism, currently at Squawka and Opta and previously with ESPN Brazil and Sofascore. Guilherme is a S\u00e3o Paulo fan but his favourite league in the world is the Championship.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\/\/x.com\/guilherme_mirra\"],\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/author\/guilhermemirra\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO Premium plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Xavi Simons analysis: How Tottenham's record signing has turned the corner and gotten off the mark | Squawka | EN","description":"After a tough start in England, Xavi Simons is enjoying, far and away, his best run of form with a Tottenham shirt.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/","og_locale":"en_GB","og_type":"article","og_title":"Xavi Simons analysis: How Tottenham's record signing has turned the corner and gotten off the mark","og_description":"After a tough start in England, Xavi Simons is enjoying, far and away, his best run of form with a Tottenham shirt.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/","og_site_name":"Squawka | EN","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/SquawkaFootballNews\/","article_modified_time":"2025-12-10T16:25:33+00:00","og_image":[{"width":2560,"height":1707,"url":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10162035\/XaviSimonsTottenham10122025_ID3DAABKP-scaled.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_site":"@squawka","twitter_misc":{"Estimated reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/"},"author":{"name":"Guilherme Mirra","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/11e48d44f9c6c2a722b00a0145e36b75"},"headline":"Xavi Simons analysis: How Tottenham&#8217;s record signing has turned the corner and gotten off the mark","datePublished":"2025-12-10T16:25:32+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-10T16:25:33+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/"},"wordCount":747,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10162035\/XaviSimonsTottenham10122025_ID3DAABKP-scaled.jpg","inLanguage":"en-GB","accessibilityFeature":["tableOfContents"]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/","name":"Xavi Simons analysis: How Tottenham's record signing has turned the corner and gotten off the mark | Squawka | EN","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10162035\/XaviSimonsTottenham10122025_ID3DAABKP-scaled.jpg","datePublished":"2025-12-10T16:25:32+00:00","dateModified":"2025-12-10T16:25:33+00:00","description":"After a tough start in England, Xavi Simons is enjoying, far and away, his best run of form with a Tottenham shirt.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-GB","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10162035\/XaviSimonsTottenham10122025_ID3DAABKP-scaled.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/media.squawka.com\/images\/2025\/12\/10162035\/XaviSimonsTottenham10122025_ID3DAABKP-scaled.jpg","width":2560,"height":1707},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/tactical-analysis-xavi-simmons-cut-the-corner-off-the-mark-tottenham-2025\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Squawka","item":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Features","item":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/features\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Xavi Simons analysis: How Tottenham&#8217;s record signing has turned the corner and gotten off the mark"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/","name":"Squawka | EN","description":"Football News, Stats, and More...","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-GB"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/11e48d44f9c6c2a722b00a0145e36b75","name":"Guilherme Mirra","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-GB","@id":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0cfb69c02f248f6793db72e9d90188663c8e75e4abe83aea6cf1ea2b108f3e76?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/0cfb69c02f248f6793db72e9d90188663c8e75e4abe83aea6cf1ea2b108f3e76?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Guilherme Mirra"},"description":"Guilherme Mirra is a tactical analyst with an FC Barcelona Innovation Hub certificate who has been working with numbers and statistics since getting his degree in Journalism, currently at Squawka and Opta and previously with ESPN Brazil and Sofascore. Guilherme is a S\u00e3o Paulo fan but his favourite league in the world is the Championship.","sameAs":["https:\/\/x.com\/guilherme_mirra"],"url":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/author\/guilhermemirra\/"}]}},"yoast_title":"","yoast_description":"After a tough start in England, Xavi Simons is enjoying, far and away, his best run of form with a Tottenham shirt.","yoast_keyword":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features\/1418420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/features"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3354"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features\/1418420\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1418455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1418420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1418420"},{"taxonomy":"features-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/features-category?post=1418420"},{"taxonomy":"squawka-category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.squawka.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/squawka-category?post=1418420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}