How GOOD Is Xavi Simons REALLY?

The second coming of Wesley Schneider or simply a team with Bruno Fernandes, just how good is Xavi? Siemens. Siemens average is 0.34 non-penalty goals per 90 from an XG of just 0.23 and the reason for that is that he's an excellent set-piece taker and he's got a tendency to score spectacular goals from outside the box whereas in terms of his involvement inside the penalty area he registers fewer touches in the attacking box than many of his peers which naturally limits easy high-value chances and also he's often operating from slightly deeper or wider positions where he has to create his own shot rather than arriving onto simple cutbacks. Now from the eye test Siemens is an unpredictable finisher with a varied shot profile, real flair to his finishing, capable of scoring powerful curling efforts but the one thing that really stands out is that he loves a finisher across to the goalkeeper's wrong corner to the near post rather than going for the far post. Also despite being quite small in frame he generates real power and he draws efforts under pressure and also in terms of his half volleys, volleys he can really connect with them which gives him an explosive edge in terms of his shooting range. In terms of shifting onto his left foot I think most of the time he wants to prefer to cut back onto his stronger foot but I wouldn't write him off in terms of being able to use that left foot. One area for further assessment is his laces, valve, shot technique, now off the ground with the volleys it's strong but off the ground there wasn't that many examples to confidently say whether this is a reliable weapon for him or if it's a weakness. Overall though a player who offers a real goal for it and is capable of producing high moments of high quality finishing especially from range but I'd like to see him be a bit more of a threat inside the box. Simons is a high volume dribbler averaging 4.72 dribbles per game, more than plays that Palmer Bruno. So he's got a strong intent to carry that ball forward and beat opponents but efficiency is a big weakness. His success rate is just 48%, noticeably lower than players like Eze, 7th percentile for successful take ons, 4th percentile for being dispossessed. So this tells us that he loses the ball often when attempting to dribble past opponents. Now in terms of someone like Eze he dribbles less often but he's got more physical power, more efficiency whereas Simons is simply less reliable at retaining possession post take on. Now in terms of the eye test, Simons is low central gravity does make him nimble, make him agile in tight areas. He's got that lace dribbling technique which you associate with La Masia graduates. The ball does stick close to his feet, shifts direction quite quickly, particularly effective also when gliding into space and using his agility and also his pace to create separation from opponents but where he struggles is in sustained duels. When he's confronted by physical defenders, he lacks the raw strength and balance to truly ride challenges. He does lose possession a lot after that initial success in maybe beating one player but in tight traffic, once he's up against two players he can be dispossessed quickly if contact is made. So for me he needs to develop more core strength and probably better decision making in terms of when to release the ball rather than taking that player on. In wide areas, I think he lacks outright pace and power compared to natural wingers which limits his ability to consistently threaten round the outside. I think he's more effective operating in inside channels half spaces where his agility and quick feet can open up passing lanes rather than relying on explosive speed or shoulder to shoulder power. Statistically Simons doesn't dominate possession as much as Averts who averages 54 passes per he gets on the ball significantly more than players like Parma or Eze. He's a courageous player with the ball, he's consistently looking to progress the game with ambitious passes through balls into the final third. He's not going to hide in possession but the pass completion rate is below average and that lower accuracy comes from the high risk nature of his passing, he attempts difficult and creative passes but they're often getting blocked or intercepted. So the retention efficiency isn't perfect, he hasn't found the balance between risk and safety. In terms of watching him live, yes he's ambitious, he's a confident player on the ball, he's frequently spotting runs off the ball and he tries to pick out teammates with disguised passes because the ball is glued to his foot, there's a lot of disguise there and the vision is there but the execution isn't always clean, over hits a lot of passes, tries outrageous plays that don't always come off. So he's got an inconsistent passing game. He does attempt to unlock defences with tricky passes and sometimes this does pay off beautifully but overall I'd say that he needs to polish that decision making and improve his efficiency. Creatively, one metric that really stands out about Simons is that he's constantly looking to unlock defences by probing with creative passes but in terms of his efficiency if you compare his through balls to Cole Palmer, Palmer attempts fewer through balls but he's generating more assists so that suggests to me that his IQ in terms of his timing and decision making is superior to a Simons. Simons trying a lot but in terms of actual impact, it's not as effective. He reminds me a bit of a Bruno Fernandes where both are high volume passes, constantly probing the opposition defence, do generate a lot of assists but there's also a lot of wastage going on in terms of decision making. In terms of the eye test, Simons' dribbling style is very close to the ball so that gives him excellent disguise particularly when he's running with the laces and that allows him to utilise the Traveller technique and open up defences. When facing high defensive lines, his through balls are particularly effective because he can spot and exploit spaces behind the defence with a well timed disguise pass. In terms of combination play, I think he comes into his own because he's such a low centre of gravity and he's come from that Barca school of thought, really good at little one twos in and around the box and he can unpick very tight defences so I think he's quite valuable in low block situations, he's very unpredictable but that approach will also lead to frustration because he does miss a lot of passes, has a lot of through balls intercepted but it won't deter him because he's one of those, he's going to keep probing relentlessly. So whilst there is a lot of wastage, imperfect execution in his game right now, I think the raw creativity and the willingness to try difficult passes needs to be applauded and he could potentially, if he refines that decision making, move into more of a world class playmaker status. Statistically, Simons wins 45% of his aerial duels which is genuinely impressive for someone standing at just 5ft10 and with a lightweight frame and that success rate puts him in a similar territory to Jude Bellingham, not in terms of overall goal threat but in terms of competing in the air during open play. In terms of the eye test, it's clear why the numbers hold up, he's got good spring, good natural athleticism, unafraid to put his head where it hurts, what I like about him is that he uses his arms well to create leverage, generate that extra bit of height which allows him to compete with and beat taller opponents. He also embraces the physical contact aspect, he's relishing that shoulder to shoulder duel and he's not shying away from aerial scraps but that makes him very useful in terms of fighting for second balls like those dropping from goal kicks or contested long passes where his timing, his bravery can help regain possession. Given his willingness to engage physically and his explosive leap, I do think there's more room for him to add more of an attacking aerial threat in terms of goal scoring, timing late runs into the box to meet crosses or recycled balls. His movement off the ball does show intelligence so if he can pair that with that aerial bravery that he does have, he could be a low key goal threat in the future. Statistically, Simon's attempts are 1.32 crosses per 90 which is noticeably lower than players like Parma, Bruno, Wirtz on top of that the crossing accuracy lags behind those players too which raises question marks as to how effective he's going to be when asked to deliver from wide areas. In terms of his inverted deliveries, they feel more like long balls rather than properly whipped crosses. That said, when he finds himself crossing on the run during transition when defensive lines are retreating, he does look more effective because then he's got the vision to get his head up and use that outside the foot traveller to pick out advancing runners which does create awkward deliveries for defenders when facing their own goal but against settled defences in low block scenarios, his crossing technique, his output appears inconsistent and quite frankly underwhelming. In short, I don't think crossing is one of Simon's strongest creative tools, I think his best work comes from inside half spaces and central zones in terms of hitting on the floor killer passes rather than consistently delivering from wide areas. While statistically there does seem to be a question mark as to how efficient Xavi Simon's defensive work is, he definitely looks purpose built for pressing, ranks in the 80th percentile for tackles in the attacking third, 93rd percentile for ball recovery so he's active, he's hunting high up the pitch, winning that ball in advanced areas, racking up defensive actions and he's clearly combative, harder working than many of his rivals. Compared to someone like Florian Wurtz, Simon's is more willing to press and contribute defensively as part of the midfield unit rather than staying detached from the defensive phase. From the eye test you can see that he's quick, agile, lower centre of gravity which makes him surprisingly effective when defending wide areas and pressing aggressively from behind. He's willing to put in blocks, get his foot in, generally scrap for possession. Despite being quite lightweight which does see him lose some physical duels, his work rate and willingness is what stands out here, reminiscent of a Bruno Fernandes in terms of his defensive personality. In terms of the efficiency of his defensive work, it's not always elite but the intent and effort is the main thing to take here. He looks like an attacker who could play a meaningful role in a pressing scheme rather than being a passenger. Statistically Simon's averages 2.4 long passes per game with a 67% accuracy rate which is higher than most of his attacking midfield peers, including the likes of Bruno and Cole Palmer. So whilst he's not attempting as many long balls as these established playmakers, when he does opt for it, he's precise and reliable. A very diverse passing technique, can whip a curl pass, vertical pass down the line, float or even zip across switches of play to the opposite wing and also produce intricate clip passes over defensive lines. His use of the Trevella foot, also again noticeable both for switching the play and threading diagonal through balls. So he's got the confidence to attempt flamboyant long passes, even on the half volley. What stands out is the personality, there's a creative edge to his long passing, it's not just for functional distribution, he's got the vision to spot unusual passing lanes and the technical ability to execute with good zip, good disguise. So given the quality that he's showing in these moments, for me he's almost underusing this part of his game. I think he needs to increase his long passing volume, especially when transitioning from deeper areas because it could really add a layer to his playmaking threat and make it even more unpredictable. It's official, Pythagoras in Boots is on the BBC, from going viral at the Amex to taking on the crossbar challenge at Goodison Park in front of 40,000 fans to talking transfers with Sammy Mockville outside the Theatre of Dreams and then live in the Matchday studio. This is The Last Pundit standing, streaming now on BBC iPlayer. Tactically, Leipzig play in a variety of formations, 4-4-2 to 3-4-2-1, 3-4-3, 4-2-2-2 and Simons is predominantly in the 4-4-2 playing from the left side and if he's playing in those other formations it's usually as a left inside forward or potentially number 10. He has even been used on the right as well but for the purpose of this video we're going to focus on the role that he predominantly plays which is from the left. So the first thing we're going to look at is Leipzig in possession. What is Simons' role within this structure? Now we can see that they've set up in a 3-2-5 once they've got the ball. The key players to look at is someone like David Ram because what he does is free up Simons to play on the inside. He starts from this position here and then he ends up here and he's the sole width within this Leipzig setup. He's the guy that stretches the play for them and what that enables Simons to do is to move from this left wing starting spot and get into this inside left space where he's at his most effective. One of the additional benefits of having Ram out wide is that it frees up Simons to link up with players on the inside the likes of Seshko, Appenda, Baumgartner, creating little intricate triangles, diamonds which allows him to evade markers and also increase his potential to be a goal for it. For example if he plays that ball into Seshko he can then make those runs knowing that he doesn't have to care about the width he can just focus on getting in and around the edge of the box, receive that pass back and before you know it a little power shot finesse into the back of the net. So I think Ram's responsibility to hold the width really does impact on Simons effectiveness on the football pitch. What's interesting on the opposite side is that quite similar to what we could see at Chelsea is that Baumgartner is a player that doesn't really hug the touchline. He's also looking to come into these central regions so essentially Leipzig are quite a narrow team within central regions and they have one full-back who provides the width. So in terms of that tendency to get into these central regions that's quite similar to what you'd expect to see at Chelsea. So that's how it works in theory, let's have a look at it in practice. Now Leipzig are in possession, Seshko has just received the ball, now Simons is there in his starting position out there on the left. Now can Seshko find him, not quite but anyway he gets there and as the play unfolds what's interesting here is that if that was Jamie Gittins now highlighted, if this was Bruce Adortman footage you'd be expecting the left-wing forward or the left winger to make a touchline hugging run and go around the full-back here and really try and penetrate but what Simons is looking to do is gravitate more into central regions of the pitch because in his soul he's a number 10, he's someone that wants to gravitate towards central regions. So instead a pender here has to make the run out wide to distract the opposition, create that space inside for Simons to go into, Simons doesn't really want to touch that orange patch of grass. Now as the play unfolds we can see that Simons is moving into this central region of the pitch and the left side of Leipzig's attack is empty in this particular instance, nevertheless Simons has moved into this number 10 area of the pitch and what he has got is vision. Does he have top end IQ in terms of consistently finding the right pass, not necessarily but he's not going to stop trying but he has the vision, he has the dreams of scenarios unfolding in front of him and he looks for a dinked pass over the top. Now will he execute it and get the right weight in this scenario? You bet he will. Now he plays the right pass over here and Seshkov fires it. In this situation, this is a more orthodox situation with David Ram got the ball, played it into Seshkov. Now once again this time Simons does make a penetrating run and because he's quite pacey some of his penetrating runs are pretty effective because he can leave people behind in the dust. But once again he doesn't make that run where the black arrow indicates which is what a left winger would tend to make. He makes more of a left wing forward run into the inside spaces. Now as this play unfolds, I'm going to watch it. He's now moved into a left inside forward space now but look who's coming to support David Ram. Now he's going to really, really hug that touchline, make that vertical run, give Leipzig that space and that penetration out there on the left. And as the play unfolds, we can see that Leipzig have now got themselves into a structure where they've got five players forward which is what you tend to see with modern teams. But Ram's there hugging the width and Simons is just off the front two players there in that sort of number 10 slot where he feels that he's most effective. Now as the play unfolds, ball comes back out there on the left and Ram plays a volley. Now that wouldn't be possible if Simons was out there because he's not a left footed player and we can see that Simons there is in that, still within that number 10 spot. He's not really worried about that ball going out there on the left, not concerned with it at all. He wants to focus on being in and around that box in that number 10 slot. In terms of Simons' role within the defensive structure, it depends on where the ball is. Now essentially if this ball is in the defensive third of the opposition area, Simons will form part of that front three and look to try and win that ball high at the pitch. If that ball is played into there, Simons will try and use his athleticism, his dynamism, his agility to try and nick that ball high at the pitch. However, if that pass was somehow to get into this region of the pitch, Simons is then expected to drop off and form part of this line of four and then it becomes a 4-4-2 sort of mid block and then eventually if that ball is played all the way into the defensive third, it'll become a 4-4-2 low block. And the likes of Seshko and Appenda are basically allowed to cheat, but someone like Simons is still expected to have that defensive responsibility and get back. So that's how it works in theory. Let's have a look at Leipzig's defensive structure in practice. Now we can see that Simons is part of the front three here and we're in a 4-3-3 shape. As the ball is being played, Simons is looking to be aggressive and be part of that front three press and try and win that ball high at the pitch. Now because that front three have managed to instigate a press and create a bit of panic, that then gives the trigger for one of the midfield three to go in there and nick that ball for Leipzig. And they've created that error and then the first thing that Leipzig want to do is as soon as they've won it, they want to get into their positions and Rahm joins in with the attack. Now another situation here, this time Leipzig have gone with almost a front four in terms of the press. Now Simons is out there on the left. Now what we see is that once that press has kind of been bypassed and the opposition look like they're going to go into a more sustained structure within possession, it then becomes more of a 4-4-2 and as we can see Simons then joins in with that second line of the press. And then what we see is that it goes back into a 4-3-3 again because now Leipzig have smelt a trigger where they're going to press again and this time Simons stays within the midfield three but Baumgarten on the opposite side has now formed part of the front three. So Leipzig's press is very much based on where the ball is going, in which region of the pitch the ball has been received and then it goes from a 4-3-3 into a 4-4-2 so they mix it up. In terms of assessing Xabi Simons' tactical fit at Chelsea, the first line that we're going to look at is that Club World Cup final win against PSG. Now what we can see is that Palmer played as a wide player in this particular game and he was enabled to do so because the likes of Gusto were able to bomb forward and provide that natural width so that frees him up to come inside and Neto obviously we know gets into these areas here so he's also providing the width so Chelsea were able to cover the width of the pitch and that frees up the players on the inside. Now someone like Enzo Fernandes is a decent goal for it, is a decent creative for it but someone like Xabi Simons in terms of his numbers is on another planet to be truth be told in terms of goal for it, probing constantly within that final third. He's less of a ball retention player though so he'd give less control but he would give more end product and we know that Xabi Simons from his you know the pictures that we saw from RB Leipzig he thrives in this inside left half space. So for me this team the way it's set up right now makes a lot of sense and I could see Xabi Simons working within this setup and what that allows you to also do is someone like James could rotate with the likes of Lavia could go in there, Enzo could go in there so midfield options wise you've got rotation you've got options someone like Esteva could take Cole Palmer's spot as a backup and could play in this inside right space as well. Someone like Gittens who thrives within the isolation he could also play in this isolated winger role and Xabi Simons could rotate with the left so suddenly that makes Chelsea's so-called squad hoarding make a lot of sense because now you've got two players for every position. So the next lineup we're going to look at is Xabi Simons playing from the left as a winger. Now for me this isn't as effective as the previous lineup that we mentioned but it could potentially be a feasible lineup in reality. Now Gusto obviously providing the width again but because Simons is playing from the left there and you've got no isolated winger now who thrives in isolation and we know that Simons doesn't really thrive in doing that either he's going to want to gravitate to this space here. Now the slight issue is that Enzo Fernandes could potentially want to get into these areas as well that could also be a benefit because it gives Chelsea a bit more variety and interchangeability within these half space regions. On the flip side though where's the width going to come from? Now Kukurela is going to have a hell of a lot of responsibility to provide that perpetual width. Now Chelsea fans might disagree with me but I personally think Kukurela he's at his best in an attacking sense when there's an element of surprise and he's joining in with the attack when you don't really expect it but if you were going to use him as a perpetual wide player a bit like how David Ram is used for Leipzig I think that's going to neuter his effectiveness because I don't really see Kukurela as that 1v1 type of merchant that consistently attacking type of left wing back. So for me there's a slight issue there in terms of compatibility I think it could work in certain game states but I think against certain lower blocks stubborn type of ones I think this could potentially represent a problem especially if let's just say if Gusto is out of the team and you pick Rhys James as your fullback and he's not going to really get into these areas as much as he used to in his prime there's a lack of width within this setup so something to watch out for. In conclusion I think Simons reminds me of a machine gun type of attacking midfielder very reminiscent of Bruno Fernandes where these type of players will frustrate but also amaze you in equal measure because for the first 80th minute they might have frustrated you in terms of the decisions that they're taking but then by the 90th minute their sheer will their determination to never give up and keep trying to influence proceedings does win out in the end. In terms of where he fits in at Chelsea I think in that role where Enzo Fernandes plays mixture of sort of left inside half space number 10 that's probably where you see the best out of him. I think in terms of the environment that you set up for him that's going to be the key as to whether you maximise him at Chelsea. I think if it's just him on the left flank with say a Cucurella I'm not sure there's enough vertical penetration out there in the Premier League to make that work I think you need a more attacking left wing back style player if it's just going to be him on the left wing. If he plays sort of more in an inside interior role and you've got say a Neto out on the left and then Cucurella sitting back for me that works better within the Premier League. So let me know what you guys think about this signing I'm really intrigued I think one thing is for sure he's going to be such an entertaining player to watch whether it's a good day or a bad day. Anyway please like, share and subscribe and see you guys again next time bye.