Xavi Simons: Thomas Frank told how to get best out of Tottenham playmaker as PSG prediction made

Tottenham Hotspur boss Thomas Frank has been told how to get the best out of Xavi Simons by a former Spurs midfielder, speaking exclusively to Sports Mole.

The former RB Leipzig and Paris Saint-Germain playmaker was overlooked for a spot in the starting lineup for Sunday's Premier League North London derby with Arsenal, as Thomas Frank introduced Kevin Danso for a more defensive-heavy setup, which backfired horribly.

Frank sent on Simons at half time, but the damage was already done as Spurs slumped to a 4-1 defeat to their North London rivals, against whom the Netherlands international lost five of his six ground duels and lost possession 11 times.

Simons's underwhelming cameo continued the 22-year-old's slow start to life in North London, as he has now failed to score in his first 15 appearances for the club, while only managing two assists in all competitions.

Now, Gus Poyet - who scored 23 goals in 98 appearances for Tottenham - has insisted that Frank must find a way to get Simons receiving the ball between the lines, although he cannot envisage a quick fix for the Dutchman given the team's recent struggles building out from the back.

Gus Poyet tells Thomas Frank how to get best out of Xavi Simons

“I first saw him playing for the Netherlands when I was coach of Greece," Poyet said. "His strength is to be in between the lines, receiving the ball in between, being very direct and trying to create problems in behind.

“In one of the Spurs games, he was in that position a few times and I thought, ‘okay, he's settled.’ But it's a period of adaptation for a new player.

“But specifically him, he needs the team to play in a certain way for him to be able to do what he does best. And at the moment with Spurs up and down, it's difficult. So we need to give him time. I don't think it would be a problem because he's got plenty of quality.”

Simons is expected to return to the starting lineup when Tottenham face his former club PSG in Wednesday's Champions League clash; the 22-year-old provided an assist in Spurs' most recent European encounter, a 4-0 home win over Copenhagen.

However, the Netherlands international has failed to directly contribute to a goal in any of his last eight Premier League matches since setting up a Pape Sarr header against West Ham United on his debut.

Thomas Frank explains Xavi Simons snub from Tottenham starting lineup

Simons has only completed the full 90 minutes on one occasion for Tottenham so far - in their 2-0 EFL Cup fourth-round loss to Newcastle United - and Frank sided with Wilson Odobert over the Dutchman at the Emirates.

The latter teed up Richarlison in the 2-2 draw with Manchester United before the international break, although the consensus was that Simons has been slowly improving in a Tottenham shirt, despite the continued lack of goals and assists.

Frank was asked about his decision to snub Simons in his post-game press conference and agreed with the notion that the playmaker has been getting better, but he refused to elaborate on his Odobert pick.

"Yeah, better, better. I think that was a tactical decision. Wilson has done well. So it's one of him or Xavi or Wilson," football.london quotes the Tottenham boss as saying.

Simons generated just 0.05 Expected Goals and 0.02 Expected Assists in the second half of Sunday's defeat, but he did have two of Spurs' three shots throughout the entirety of the game.

Gus Poyet was speaking to Sports Mole on behalf of BetWright.