Tottenham Hotspur remained in the relegation zone in the Premier League standings after a disappointing defeat against Sunderland on Sunday.
A West Ham win over Wolves had put Tottenham in the relegation zone on Friday. They needed to beat Sunderland to climb out of it, but lost 1-0 at the Stadium of Light. Nordi Mukiele scored the only goal of the game via a deflected shot in the 61st minute.
Spurs tried to look for an equalizer but didn’t create many big chances in the game. One of the reasons for this was that Xavi Simons remained on the bench until the 85th minute.
Tottenham boss explains reason behind Xavi Simons’ late substitution
Roberto De Zerbi’s first game in charge of Tottenham saw them start well, but they reverted to their poor form after 15-20 minutes. They failed to create much and conceded in the 61st minute.
However, while the Italian made a triple substitution in the 62nd minute, Simons wasn’t one of them. He only came on in the 85th minute, when he had very little time to make an impact. After the game, De Zerbi explained the reason behind this, saying (h/t Football.London):
“Because I changed three players, then after Romero’s injury, there were on the pitch Kolo Muani and Udogie. I didn’t know when Udogie could finish, the energy to play, just for it. Without Romero’s injury, Xavi would have come on before.”
Also Read: Roberto De Zerbi provides Cristian Romero injury update immediately after Sunderland 0-1 Tottenham
Soon after Tottenham’s triple substitution, Cristian Romero and Antonin Kinsky collided due to a push from Brian Brobbey on the former. Romero was in tears and had to come off with what appeared to be a knee injury. Kevin Danso replaced him.
However, Spurs fielded a midfield of Joao Palhinha, Conor Gallagher, and Pape Matar Sarr for around 20 minutes while chasing the game. Simons eventually came on in the 85th minute, but it was too late.
De Zerbi needs to start Simons and Mathys Tel
With James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski’s injuries and Thomas Frank’s setup, Tottenham have struggled in attack this season. However, Simons and Tel have provided glimpses of initiative and drive whenever they have been on the pitch. Hence, it’s baffling to see them constantly getting benched.
They haven’t been perfect, of course. Tel has just three goals and one assist in 32 games across competitions this season, while Simons has five goals and six assists in 41 games. However, they are the only ones in the current Spurs squad who can create chances, apart from Pedro Porro.
Tottenham have tried the physicality and duel-winning No. 10 all season with Lucas Bergvall and Pape Matar Sarr. The result? They’ve struggled in midfield all season and are currently in the relegation zone.
It is vital that De Zerbi realizes this and chooses Simons and Tel’s technical and creative ability over inefficient physicality.
