Are things in danger of unravelling at Tottenham Hotspur?
Let’s cast our minds back to the Ange Postecoglou era. It all began at a rip-roaring pace before the Aussies’ chaotic team were found out.
Is the same now happening to Thomas Frank’s team? The Dane was enjoying a pretty perfect first few months in the hot seat and with Daniel Levy gone, a promising new era beckoned.
Yet, in recent months, results have not been up to scratch. Spurs have won just two of their last eight games in all competitions, and since their impressive 3-0 win over Everton a week ago, have endured a wretched week.
The Lilywhites crashed out of the Carabao Cup at the expense of Newcastle and then turned in arguably their worst performance of the Frank era to date in their 1-0 defeat to Chelsea.
So bad were Spurs that Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher simply said as the game neared its end that they had been “absolutely awful”.
To make matters worse, clips emerged post-game showing two Spurs players walking straight past the manager at full-time.
That being said, at the front of their woes is the marquee summer signing, Xavi Simons.
Why Xavi Simons is struggling at Spurs
What a peculiar summer Spurs had. The big focus, particularly after James Maddison’s injury, was to sign a creative force.
They missed out on Premier League-proven talents in the shape of Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze and were forced to turn their attentions elsewhere. How they must wish they’d got one of Gibbs-White or Eze.
Simons has been a wonderful talent out in the Bundesliga but much like fellow attacking midfielder Florian Wirtz, has really struggled to make an impact in English football.
The Dutchman has failed to score across 12 outings in Spurs colours and has just one assist to show for his efforts.
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While there have been flickers of brilliance, he is clearly struggling with the physicality of the league and is suffering from the lack of time you are given on the ball.
That was particularly notable during the 1-0 loss to Chelsea on Saturday evening, perhaps the nadir of Simons’ time in north London to date.
The Netherlands international wasn’t initially selected to start the game but was thrust into the action after just seven minutes when Lucas Bergvall went off injured.
To sum up his woes, Simons was then withdrawn from the action with 17 minutes of normal time to go.
He trudged off the pitch having not completed a key pass or provided an accurate cross. He also gave away possession 15 times and completed a solitary dribble from three attempts.
Aged just 22, Simons does at least have time on his side but he will need to improve quickly. Another of Spurs’ big underperformers may not be quite so fortuitous as far as time is concerned.
Spurs underperformer is as big of a problem as Simons
While the summer signing has become a large issue for Frank in recent weeks, so has one of the club’s most experienced players; Pedro Porro.
Donning the captain’s armband, more should be expected of the Spaniard but the fact of the matter is that his form is waning under the new regime.
While Porro has never been the most awe-inspiring from a defensive point of view, it’s not just been that aspect of his game to let him down in 2025/26.
Handed a 4/10 rating post-game by football.london, they wrote that he ‘struggled to make things happen with his passing loose for much of the encounter’.
Minutes played
73
Accurate passes
18/30 (60%)
Key passes
0
Accurate crosses
0/6
Touches
51
Possession lost
23x
Shots
0
Tackles
0
Interceptions
0
Recoveries
2
Duels won
3/7
That was certainly showcased in the stats with the full-back not impressing in many of his duties at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
He dismally completed just 60% of his passes, ceding possession on 23 occasions. The Spain international also failed to complete a tackle or make an interception.
It’s safe to say he didn’t leave a strong impression on the fanbase with one Spurs content creator describing it as Porro’s “worst performance in a long time.” Quite.
So, as Frank’s side get ready to face Copenhagen in midweek, perhaps it would be advantageous to drop Porro, moving Djed Spence to right back and bringing Destiny Udogie back in at left-back.