After producing a monster class against Atletico Madrid at mid week with a brilliant goal from outside the box, a penalty goal that he himself won, five key passes, and four dribbles completed, Xavi Simons inexplicably found himself on the sidelines when Tottenham Hotspur took on Morgan Gibbs-White and Nottingham Forest in a crucial relegation six pointer.
And almost on cue, Tottenham were decimated 3-0, with the player Spurs tried to sign before they landed Simons, MGW, grabbing a goal. Now, Simons did come into the game in the second half and slightly boosted the team's ball progression, but, by then, the damage had already been done and Spurs were doomed to lose.
Now, Tottenham manager Igor Tudor had benched Simons before in Premier League encounters, and the decision to do so was not an issue since Spurs were playing poorly with the Dutchman and he was struggling to make an impact in all phases.
Xavi Simons didn't even start vs. Nottingham Forest
But against Atletico Madrid, everything seemed to click for Simons and Spurs. He was unstoppable in all respects, gliding past the opposition, setting up great chances, and providing that something special as a scorer. You know, all the reasons why Spurs spent about 60 million euros to sign the Bundesliga superstar from RB Leipzig.
You would have thought that Tudor would have given Simons another chance to show what he has in a must win game against Nottingham Forest, especially since he is Spurs best player and the one most likely to make a difference in the final score.
Tottenham Hotspur supporters never got to see that, and all anyone can ask is why. Why did Tudor ruin a good thing, second guess himself, and leave Simons on the bench when he and the team had played so well against one of the top teams in European football just days ago? And does he regret the decision after watching how badly Spurs got dog walked by Nottingham Forest in their own house without Simons starting? Is it just that Tudor has that little confidence in Simons's ability to play in actual Premier League games?
There are some possible reasons, such as the issue of Simons translating to the Premier League, that could explain why Tudor made the decision that he did, but juxtaposing the two results, it feels like no matter how the answer is spun, benching Simons was a mistake. Because even if Simons can't always play this well, the chance of him dominating as he did against Atleti is worth the start alone since it can prove to be the difference against almost any opponent.