Ange Postecoglou as soon as famously mentioned that each time he sees the sunshine, it is simply an oncoming prepare at Tottenham Hotspur. And that prepare has now became a journey to the Championship, that includes stops in opposition to Aston Villa, Leeds United, Chelsea and Everton.
Even in victory in opposition to Wolverhampton Wanderers – their first of 2026 – the Lilywhites have been handed the devastating information of Xavi Simons’ ACL harm.
It is not the primary time {that a} Spurs star has suffered a long-term harm within the final 12 months and severe questions have been requested of the membership’s medical group for a way they did not diagnose Simons’ destiny rapidly sufficient.
In the meantime, there are additionally a number of questions that stay on the pitch now that Roberto De Zerbi has the duty of changing the big-money attacker.
Why Simons might be such an enormous miss for Spurs
On paper, Simons is a big-money flop who has been concerned in simply seven Premier League objectives all season. However all the story can’t be instructed on paper.
The truth is that De Zerbi and Simons are the proper match and the Italian’s arrival offered the attacker together with his finest probability to search out his finest kind since arriving in North London.
His true high quality was on present in De Zerbi’s first recreation. The Dutchman took management of the match, aiding Pedro Porro’s opening objective, earlier than unleashing a shocking strike that he believed was the winner, earlier than Brighton spoiled the social gathering in basic Spurs trend.
He then went on to inform reporters that it is a “new coach, new guidelines, completely different mentality”. If anybody was able to hit the heights underneath De Zerbi, it was Simons.
Spurs now have a significant problem in his absence. One more one in every of their goalscoring retailers has fallen. With Dominic Solanke additionally set for one more spell on the sidelines, the place the objectives come from is anybody’s guess at this stage.
The truth is, with out that duo in opposition to Wolves, Spurs’ whole beginning line-up would have contributed to simply seven objectives between them within the Premier League this season. Somebody has to step up.
How Spurs may substitute Simons
With out Simons in that facet, Spurs lack a vital connector between midfield and the frontline.
They’re lacking somebody who operates excellently on the half flip and in large areas. What they’ve as an alternative is a midfield filled with inflexible workhorses and that can solely take them to this point, particularly with out Solanke main the road.
Unleashing Bergvall in a extra superior position will remedy De Zerbi’s Simons drawback right away. The Swede has been pressured to be pragmatic far too usually, however can turn out to be Spurs’ new Luka Modric if his new supervisor permits him some inventive freedom.
|
PL stats P90 |
Simons 25/26 |
Bergvall 24/25 |
|---|---|---|
|
Minutes |
1,757 |
1,206 |
|
Possibilities created |
1.74 |
0.82 |
|
Dribble success |
42.4% |
51.2% |
|
Objectives |
0.1 |
0 |
|
Assists |
0.26 |
0.07 |
The final time that Bergvall performed in a system with out the constraints of pragmatism was underneath Postecoglou final season. It was then that he loved nice take-on success and created nearly one probability per recreation.
Though it isn’t sufficient to match Simons’ probability creation numbers, the 20-year-old stays Tottenham’s finest hope of replicating the Dutchman’s high quality, notably mentioned to own a “first contact like Modric” by the Athletic’s JJ Bull.
It is that versatility which stands out, too. Bergvall, similar to Modric many moons in the past, can play all throughout midfield. He must be one of many first names on De Zerbi’s teamsheet for the sake of Spurs’ success out and in of possession.
Bergvall would be the first to confess that it isn’t been the simplest season. He merely did not swimsuit Thomas Frank or Igor Tudor, nonetheless, and neither did most of his teammates. Beneath De Zerbi, issues may be completely different.
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