Tottenham Hotspur take on Monaco in the Champions League tonight as they look to get back to winning ways after losing at home to Aston Villa at the weekend.
Thomas Frank’s side will understandably have high expectations in Europe this season, given their success in the Europa League last season.
The Dane has already made an excellent start in Europe’s biggest club competition, winning one and drawing the other in his first two games of 2025/26.
However, Sebastian Pocognoli’s side held Manchester City to a 2-2 draw at the start of the month and will be a tough challenge against the Ligue 1 side.
If Frank is to win Europe again as Lilywhites manager, he will probably need one of his current first team members to continue his best form in the south of France.
Xavi Simmons’ disappointing start to Spurs
During the summer transfer window, Spurs’ leaders made it clear that they wanted to improve the options available within the attacking midfield position.
After a number of failures during the window, they decided to pay around £52m to sign Dutch international Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig.
A total of 19 goals and assists in all competitions caused a lot of excitement, but it’s safe to say that his time in North London hasn’t gone well to date.
The 22-year-old has registered just one assist in his first eight games for the Lilywhites, and his move is now starting to be questioned by many experts.
Simmons only creates 1.3 chances per 90 and completes just 40% of his dribble attempts. The latter of his two statistics ranks him in the top 44 of all Premier League players.
A lack of physicality has also been exposed in England’s top flight, with only 38% of their matches won and just 27% of players in the division winning less.
He desperately needs to find his form to justify his staggering transfer fee, but Frank could help him against Monaco by starting tonight as another first-team member.
Spurs players who can finally fire Simmons
Throughout his first few weeks in North London, Simmons played in a variety of roles, spending most of his playing time in an unnatural left-wing position.
This situation is likely to be a contributing factor to his recent lack of attacking impact, and managers need to utilize him in his natural No. 10 position.
He created nearly twice as many chances per 90 minutes for Leipzig last season, further proving the level he can create when featuring behind the striker.
Questions have also arisen in the centre-forward department recently, with Richarlison unable to confirm the confidence shown by his new manager.
Dominic Solanke would be Frank’s obvious number one option, but the Englishman’s repeated setbacks with an ankle injury have prevented him from consistently playing in the first team.
In such a scenario, the manager would hand loanee Randal Kolo Muani his first start for the Lilywhites in the game against Monaco later tonight.
The Frenchman has only played 24 minutes for the club since joining from PSG on deadline day, but the lights-lit night in Europe could be his chance to stake a claim for a starting berth.
Described as “phenomenal” by former manager Christian Gourcuff, Kolo Muani scored 10 goals in just 22 appearances for Juventus last season, highlighting his clinical ability in the final third.
Such talent in attacking areas could be of great benefit to Simmons, with the Dutchman having a chance to increase his assist numbers alongside the Frenchman.
After all, this is a player who, in the words of the Bundesliga website, has the “characteristics of Thierry Henry’s play”. We haven’t seen anything like that yet since his move, but there’s never been a better time.
Randall Kolo Muani – Statistics for 2024/25 | |
|---|---|
Statistics (every 90) | tally |
games played | 26 |
goals and assists | 12 |
Accuracy of shots on target | 48% |
Goals per shot on target | 0.4 |
Major passes taken | 1.4 |
Take-up completed | 1.5 |
Carry into the opposition box | 1.2 |
aerial won | 1.2 |
Statistics by FotMob | |
The big-ticket signing has completed 1.1 crosses in every 90 attempts, a figure that works perfectly for the loanee who netted three headers last season.
Both players struggled to live up to the expectations upon their eventual arrival in North London, but all that could change tonight if Frank gives them the chance to start together.
The pair could help the team maintain their unbeaten record in Europe this season and increase their chances of winning another European title.
