Igor Tudor will be delighted to have Xavi Simons at his disposal for two Tottenham reasons after he showed his true colours
Xavi Simons looks to have already impressed new Tottenham head coach Igor Tudor(Image: (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images))
Xavi Simons looks set for an immediate boost under new Tottenham boss Igor Tudor. The club confirmed his arrival as interim head coach 72 hours on from the sacking of Thomas Frank following defeat to Newcastle which saw Spurs remain winless in the Premier League in 2026.
Tudor will be out to change that this weekend as Spurs take on Arsenal in the North London Derby. He is expected to deploy a back three which includes two No.10s and one of those will almost certainly be Simons.
The summer signing has looked much better in that role with injuries and bad results forcing Frank to change his system. The Dane did revert to a back four for his last game in charge with Spurs confirming his departure on Thursday morning with Tudor instilled on Saturday morning.
The change at the helm was made with Spurs having an extended break between their latest loss and the visit of Arsenal. The squad were given five days off between those games, but Simons seemingly had other ideas as he showed his true colours.
According to talkSPORT, the Dutchmen opted to spend some extra time at the training ground. Tudor spoke clearly about needing more from the players over the comings months and thus he will likely be very pleased at Simons putting in the work.
During his first interview at the club, Tudor said: “Of course, I’m coming here knowing the situation is not easy, there’s no time to find excuses.
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“What I said from the first day here, each of us, each of the players, need to give something, something more, something extra, because the position of the club at this moment is not that anybody can accept. Every fan of Tottenham cannot accept the situation.
“We are aware of that, but it’s not enough to just be aware of that. I like to be positive, I like to play offensive football. Of course, that’s my first goal I have, that I like to score the goal, but in the same way, for sure, I need to give organisation in defence, give the clear structure of what you want to play.”
“Maybe this can sound strange, but I believe that the thing that we need to be focused on is the training. So, the training from today, that’s the key, because, as I always like to say, Sunday and the game is a consequence of the training.”
The 47-year-old took his first training session in charge of Spurs on Tuesday with full focus on Sunday’s huge game against bitter rivals Arsenal.
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With the Lilywhites having not played since last Wednesday, Tudor will be hoping for some injury returns after Wilson Odobert joined 11 other Spurs stars in the treatment room.
Pedro Porro and Richarlison are the only players that could potentially be back with the latter spotted back on the grass at Hotspur Way in footage that played over Tudor’s interview.
Cristian Romero will not be available for selection until mid-March due to suspension with the hope being that Kevin Danso and Destiny Udogie will also be back from injury around that period.
Lucas Bergvall is reportedly out of a protective boot but is unlikely to return until early April following the final international break of the season.
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