Can Xavi Simons save Spurs?

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The Netherlands international’s beautiful cross for Pedro Porro and his stunning goal in the 77th minute put Spurs on the edge of winning a Premier League match for the first time since December. It felt cruel that Simons used up so much energy driving his side forward that he was unable to track back in the final few seconds as Brighton damaged Spurs’ chances of avoiding relegation. Spurs are stuck in the bottom three for another week and have wasted one of their six chances to climb away from danger. Kevin Danso dropped to the floor at full-time and had to be picked up by his centre-back partner Micky van de Ven. But instead of feeling sorry for themselves, this performance should give the squad confidence they can survive. Simons has endured a strange debut season in north London but he has to start all of their remaining fixtures. Roberto De Zerbi only brought him off the bench in the 85th minute of last weekend’s 1-0 defeat by Sunderland. Igor Tudor left the attacking midfielder out of the line-up for three top-flight games in a row despite an excellent performance in the second leg of their Champions League last 16 tie with Atletico Madrid. Thomas Frank slowly eased Simons into the starting XI after he joined Spurs from RB Leipzig for £51.8million a few days before the summer transfer window closed. Frank substituted him when they needed to score against Manchester United, while he was named on the bench against Arsenal and Chelsea. Spurs signed the 22-year-old after missing out on Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze, which is potentially part of the reason why he has fought to prove his worth. “Xavi Simons is very young, but he’s a leader with the ball because he has personality,” De Zerbi said in a press conference before the Brighton match. “He has the right character to receive the ball when the ball is hot, because it’s not so easy playing this moment for us, but we need players with personality and character, otherwise they don’t play with me.” Simons’ goal was sensational and exactly what De Zerbi was referring to. Lucas Bergvall pinched the ball from Jan Paul van Hecke before sliding a pass towards his team-mate. Simons weaved in between Mats Wieffer and Van Hecke before bending a shot from outside the box past Bart Verbruggen. He whipped his shirt off and jumped into the crowd to celebrate. It should have been the moment that broke their four-month winless run. It still could act as the inspiration which offers the players, coaching staff and fans belief they can salvage this desperate situation. Simons has been trying to score a version of that goal throughout the season. The closest he previously came was in February’s 2-2 draw with Manchester City when Gianluigi Donnarumma tipped his shot over the bar. Simons’ tenacity and desire to keep going should be admired. There were lots of other examples of Simons trying to drag Spurs to victory. He was hunted and fouled by Wieffer on multiple occasions but never backed down from receiving the ball under pressure. He showed tremendous vision in the build-up to the opening goal. Simons’ back is turned away from the goal when he receives the ball with his left foot and he turns in one fluid motion before picking out Porro’s run. He should have scored just before Kaoru Mitoma’s equaliser in first-half stoppage time when nimble footwork helped him to evade Ferdi Kadioglu but he rolled a right-footed shot onto the post. De Zerbi started celebrating before he dropped to his knees and screamed in frustration. In the second half, Simons exchanged a clever one-two with substitute Joao Palhinha and surged into the box. The move ended with Verbruggen saving Palhinha’s deflected shot. Simons is initially marking Wieffer in the build-up to Mitoma’s volley but should have switched and closed down Pascal Gross quicker. Simons started on the left when he has mainly played in a central position for Spurs, which might explain the confusion. Even when he was struggling with cramp he kept playing because Spurs had made all five of their permitted substitutes. He consumed an energy gel, drank some water, received treatment from the medical team and managed to hold up the ball before passing it to Mathys Tel but battling on through eight minutes of stoppage time proved too difficult. “He played very well, a great game,” De Zerbi said. “I think he can play better and better, because a player like this, he needs to feel confidence from the manager, and I stay here to transfer all the confidence that he needs. Because I was a player, I was a No 10. I know what he thinks, because I thought the same when I was a player. I think I am lucky to have this player on my team. But also he’s lucky because as a No 10 we can understand (each other) better than with other coaches.” Simons is level with Mohammed Kudus for the most assists (5) and only behind Porro (41) for chances created (32). This was his only second goal in 27 top-flight appearances — an underwhelming return. He scored 10 times in 25 matches for Leipzig in the Bundesliga last season. De Zerbi declared after the game that Spurs “can win five games in a row” and that their fight to stay in the division “is not finished yet.” Their best chance of picking up 15 points before the end of May and maintaining their precious top-flight status is with Simons at the heart of their plans. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms Jay Harris reports on Tottenham Hotspur for The Athletic. He worked for Sky Sports News for four years before he joined The Athletic in 2021 and spent three seasons covering Brentford. He covered the 2022 World Cup from Qatar and the 2023 Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast. Follow Jay on Twitter @jaydmharris