Thomas Frank explains why he has not been starting Xavi Simons and hits back at Tottenham critics
The Tottenham Hotspur boss has been responding to criticism and discussing the north London club’s £51million summer signing
Xavi Simons has struggled to find a consistent starting role in Thomas Frank’s Tottenham Hotspur team since joining from RB Leipzig
Thomas Frank has made it clear that he does not care what the pundits have to say about his Tottenham team and has explained why Xavi Simons has not started recent matches.
The north London side have stumbled after their bright start under Frank with just three wins in their past 12 matches. Spurs have conceded nine goals to Arsenal and PSG in recent days, albeit with an improved attacking display in the 5-3 Champions League defeat in Paris on Wednesday night.
Frank and his players have drawn criticism from pundits and most recently former Tottenham defender Ramon Vega vented his frustration on radio station talkSPORT about the Dane not being brave enough to implement tactics.
“I have 100% not seen it, because I don’t read anything,” said Frank. “[My press officer] will let me know if there is anything that is valuable for me to know. One thing for sure when I walked into this club, all I knew besides we would lose football matches is I would be criticised.
“So I literally don’t care what they say. I listen to the trusted people that know me, close to me and others, the only thing I’d say it is slightly easier to be on the outside.”
Fulham visit the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Saturday night looking to extend Spurs’ nightmare home record of just three wins in 2025. This is new territory for Frank as at this stage last season his Brentford side were the Premier League’s top scorers at home with a club record 19 points.
“That was a little bit of a journey together and the team clicked at that time with a front four of Yoane Wissa, Bryan Mbeumo, Kevin Schade and Mikkel Damsgaard. The front three scored 50 goals between them and Dams was unplayable at times,” he said.
“So they clicked and that’s what we are working very hard to find now, to make it click. So I’m not in doubt that will come. I hope we see signs of it on Saturday, how we want to do things.”
One of those players who needs to click in Tottenham’s attack is summer signing Xavi Simons. The 22-year-old Dutchman was brought in from RB Leipzig for £51million but is yet to score for the club and has just two assists from his 16 appearances so far.
Xavi was left out of the starting line-up for the defeats at Arsenal and his old side PSG and Frank was asked how the young midfielder had reacted.
“Xavi has been fine. As we’ve seen with other players coming into the Premier League for the first time from other leagues, it’s not straightforward in any way,” said the Spurs boss. “It’s a completely natural part of the development or adjustment to the league. Different games, different abilities.
“At the end of the day it’s all about performance. No matter if it’s Xavi – what about Wilson [Odobert]? What about Mo [Kudus]? What about whatever player didn’t play [against PSG], Joao [Palhinha]. It’s different things. This is not about Xavi it’s in general, this is about what do you give to the team for any specific game.
“With the offense, no matter what type of player you are, do you give enough to the offensive part of the game? That means do you either play forward enough, do you create chances enough, do you use crosses? Whatever the position is, full-back, midfielder, winger.
“The defensive side of the game. Do you work hard enough? Do you win duels? Do you get on to the ball? Can you press with the intensity we want? And there is the set-pieces. Do you bring enough to the defensive ones? All that, that’s the reason we select players, how they can perform. And then there’s a little difference between playing Arsenal away and whatever, another team at home or PSG away.”
With that in mind Frank was asked whether the game against Fulham could provide Xavi with the chance to enjoy a breakout performance as Randal Kolo Muani did with his first two goals for the club against his employers PSG on Wednesday evening.
“Yeah, definitely could,” said Frank with a nod. “That’s a combination of how do we break down opponents, how do we open them? Where are we as a team, how do we create enough chances because that’s a thing we’ve been thinking about. How do we get enough goalscorers on the pitch?
“[In Paris] it worked with two strikers. We are very aware that we are not the finished article at all. Before we are closer to what we want to be, maybe there is kind of a middle ground to go through to make sure we are arriving where we want to be.”
Frank is looking for goals from his Tottenham team and he bristles at any suggestion that he is a cautious, negative manager.
“I think everyone has seen my games over all the years I’ve been in charge, no matter if it was when I was with the under-eights team in Frederiksværk 30 years ago or now, I want to play offensive, front-footed football,” said the Dane. “But probably also in those 30 years they could pick games from the under-eights at Frederiksværk to Brentford where it didn’t work for whatever reason. It didn’t work Sunday against Arsenal.
“The plan was to be front foot-footed. We weren’t. And that we adjusted. After Sunday I was angry, pained, hurt. [In Paris] I was irritated, but the feeling in the body was better because we really, really, really competed. There was more of the identity I want to show.”
