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Xavi Simons
- Thread starter mjc23
- Start date
braineclipse
Garth Crooks
Being able to play with intensity without stepping over the line is the key imo. Players that learn that typically do so with experience. Particularly for a more creative player like Simons he should be able to learn that over time, it's not like he has to make a lot of half desperate tackles.
Controlled aggression. With some drop off in intensity and aggression in key moments. Can't just keep playing as if you weren't on a yellow.
parklane1
Teddy Sheringham
Good to see, he always has his head up judging his next move while still getting contol of the ball. That is a skill in itself and what a lot of players seem to not have. Keep it up son.
Lamela could
markysimmo
Johnny nice-tits
NaijaSpurs
Paul Walsh
Moving forward should definitely only be deployed as a number 10
Don't mind seeing him from the left as he's better than anything else we have there. Once we get the LW sorted then he should be played as a 10.
Bishop
Paul Robinson
I do because he's far better than what we have for the centre and he's not particularly great on the left. This level of performance is much lower when playing that left role imo.
NaijaSpurs
Paul Walsh
Nah, he is nowhere near the player he is when deployed through the middle as a number 10. He has the creativity that no one else can provide at the moment.
NaijaSpurs
Paul Walsh
My sentiments exactly
I agree he's best centrally but he is fine on the left too. He will look better on the left than he has done when it's Udogie who's on the left with him rather than Spence. His clever play and cutting inside working in tandem with Udogie hugging the touchline with a natural left foot will also work well....
ricky2tricky4city
Colin Calderwood
I don't really know how we know anything... he's barely played for us.
We have decent players in the centre and nothing of note on the left. He's still good on the left and is capable of putting in great crosses.
Stiff_Swede
Gus Poyet
Looked ok in the middle, but looked weak he lost the ball three times in a row without getting a free kick that lead to counter opportunities.
braineclipse
Garth Crooks
Let's see what he does over a bit of time.
I do think he'll end up mostly playing as a 10 sooner or later. But he's more than capable of being really good on the left as well. And particularly if he has a more overlapping left back behind him he can drift into a lot of the same areas from the left.
Wouldn't be against him playing more games on the left at the moment. And eventually Kulusevski and Maddison will be back and give us other options for the 10 role too.
Also wouldn't be against him playing in the 10 role from now on. But isn't that flexibility what we want from Frank. What's best for us in any individual game and all that?
Diamond Lights
Gudni Bergsson
call me old school (though i did spend a few years coaching grassroots football too) and i'm a big believer in the old adage of "play your best players in their best positions".
Appreciate we lack quality on the left, but you dont move him out there if he's your most creative midfielder from the middle. Even if that means Johnson or Odobert or Tel, keep Xavi in the middle.
Appreciate we lack quality on the left, but you dont move him out there if he's your most creative midfielder from the middle. Even if that means Johnson or Odobert or Tel, keep Xavi in the middle.
braineclipse
Garth Crooks
To me that applies when one of the better players is clearly better on one position than another.
I don't think that applies as much to Simons, particularly if playing a more inside left role. Wouldn't want to see him just hug the touchline, but as long as he has the freedom to roam a bit I'm not sure it matters much where it's starting position is.
Too many potential solutions to list them all. But if Frank wants two out of Palhinha, Sarr and Bentancur in a given game. Simons left and Bergvall through the middle or Simons in the 10 role and one of those you mentioned on the left. What's better? I think it depends.
NaijaSpurs
Paul Walsh
Long story short, Xavi looks more dangerous for us when he plays as a number 10.
braineclipse
Garth Crooks
Based on a very small sample size where him playing as a 10 against Brighton coincided with us chasing a goal and also playing another of our more creativity players in midfield (Bergvall).
Long story short the story is still rather short and it's a bit early to be making strong conclusions on what should happen in the future.
Bishop
Paul Robinson
Small sample size playing for us but not a a small sample size in terms of his career. He's played a lot on the left and through the middle. His attributes best suit a central role. He plays from the left regardless of where his nominal starting position is but the point is if hes started as the left hand side guy it's his responsibility to spread the game and provide the width, this does not suit him or get the best out of him. We need a player on the outside of him which then allows Simons to drift into the spaces where he is most dangerous and that is not our on the left holding width and yes he will be the one holding width of he's played there as we've already seen in his first two matches.