'No complaints'- Patience is the name of the game as Tottenham duo aim to strike a chord under Thomas Frank

The 22-year-old also found it difficult to form an effective partnership on the left-flank with Djed Spence. The pair were often on different wavelengths, underlying their lack of experience playing together. At one point, Simons was frustrated with the lack of intensity shown by Spence in releasing the ball to him.

Xavi Simons needs to find a way to work well with Djed Spence at Tottenham

Thomas Frank is deploying Xavi Simons on the left-flank as of now, with Lucas Bergvall operating in the #10 role instead. Playing on the wing is not a strong skill set for Simons, as he tends to lack creativity to impact the game regularly from wide positions. But the Dutchman needs to find a way to make his mark in the wide positions, starting with getting on the same wavelength as Djed Spence.

Alasdair Gold also highlighted the issue on the left-flank between Xavi and Spence during the game against Villarreal. Speaking on his YouTube channel, Gold said,

“Obviously, we’re building the offensive structure more and more. Xavi has just come into the club. It’s fair to say he and Djed need a little relationship, of course, to get going. No complaints. It’s just natural.”

The journalist added,

“I think there was a spell in the second half when we decided to give the ball away every single time we had it. We gave the ball away. Let’s bring it back. Oh, give it away. Let’s bring it back.”

Alasdair Gold believes that Xavi Simons needs to find a way to form a relationship with Djed Spence on the left-wing if he wants to make an impact from wide areas. The journalist adds that both players struggled to find each other several times during the second half against Villarreal and ended up giving the ball away without any pressure. Gold insists that this cannot happen regularly and Xavi needs to learn how Spence operates behind him.

It is fair to say that Djed Spence might not be the right man to play behind Xavi Simons on the left-flank. Both players are naturally right-footed, and they tend to cut inside and get on their strong foot. This stops any overlapping movement, giving Simons limited options to choose from as the Lilywhites look to form an attack against a low-block opposition.