Everton host Tottenham at the Hill Dickinson Stadium this weekend. After a drab 0-0 midweek draw away in Monte Carlo against AS Monaco, predicting Tottenham to earn all three points in this one would certainly be a gamble.
Losses to Bournemouth and Aston Villa, as well as draws with Monaco, Bodø/Glimt, Wolves and Brighton, have brought Spurs back down to reality after a strong start under Thomas Frank.
The Dane’s men opened the season well with a spirited performance against Paris Saint-Germain in the Super Cup, even though they lost on penalties, and big wins against Manchester City and Burnley in the Premier League. Since then, however, they have struggled to match their early-season form.
Wanted: midfield creator
Tottenham’s search for a creative midfielder dominated the transfer window. Publicly failed moves for Nottingham Forest’s Morgan Gibbs-White and Eberechi Eze, then of Crystal Palace – now Arsenal – epitomized their desperation for a creator in midfield. That desperation increased when James Maddison suffered an ACL injury in pre-season against Arsenal. He’s sitting alongside Dejan Kulusevski in the injury room, who has been out with a long-term knee injury since May.
However, that hole in Spurs’ midfield seemed to be filled when they announced the signing of Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig late in the window. The Dutchman was on the radar of other big European names, including Tottenham’s London rivals Chelsea. Last season the midfielder racked up 10 goals and six assists in the Bundesliga for a struggling Leipzig side that finished seventh in the league, but he is yet to hit those same heights for Tottenham.
Tottenham’s lack of creative spark
Spurs’ failure to create was exemplified in their goalless draw against Monaco, with the French side having four times the number of shots on target that Frank’s side managed. Guglielmo Vicario in the Spurs goal was forced into eight big saves in the match.
Xavi started the match yet struggled to make a defining impact. His manager believes that it will take time for the midfielder to be at his best for Spurs. When asked about how long that will take ahead of the game using the example of Wirtz who, like Xavi, only has one assist so far since moving from the Bundesliga to Liverpool, who, like Xavi, only has one assist since leaving the Bundesliga for Liverpool, Frank answered: “I think that’s a very good question. Also, a very good comparison with Wirtz, who is also a very good player, just like Xavi.
“He is a very good player coming into a couple of things – new country, new club, new city. You just need to settle in, and it is part of it.” As Xavi takes his time to bed in and Spurs wait for the return of both Maddison and Kulusevski, Frank will have to find another way to break down opponents in the meantime.
Tottenham’s struggles away to Everton
As Everton enter a new era, now playing their home games at the Hill Dickinson instead of Goodison Park, Spurs will hope that this will be the end of their poor form away to David Moyes’ side.
Tottenham’s last win away to Everton was in 2018 under Mauricio Pochettino. Since then they have had five permanent managers, played in a Champions League final, won the Europa League and finished 17th.
Much like Tottenham, Everton have been very hit and miss this season. Alongside ending Crystal Palace’s 18-match unbeaten run, they have failed to beat Wolves, West Ham and Manchester City of late.
After leaving Monte Carlo just days ago, Spurs enter another game of chance, this time in Merseyside to get them back to winning ways under Frank.
