0 key passes, 0 shots, 0 crosses: 3/10 Spurs flop is quickly becoming the new Ndombele
Tottenham Hotspur endured yet another night to forget in north London, as boos echoed around the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium following a dismal 1-0 defeat to Chelsea. It was a performance that encapsulated everything that has gone wrong for Thomas Frank’s side in recent weeks — lack of creativity, careless defending, and poor decision-making in key moments.
The numbers tell their own story. Spurs registered an expected goals (xG) tally of just 0.10, one of the lowest recorded at home in their modern Premier League history. They rarely looked capable of breaking through Chelsea’s disciplined shape and frequently handed possession back to their visitors. The frustration among the home fans boiled over when goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario opted to play a short free-kick deep in stoppage time rather than sending the ball forward, leading to audible jeers and even criticism from Jamie Carragher, who summed it up bluntly on commentary: “You have been awful today, Spurs.”
Defensive chaos and individual errors
Tottenham’s defensive lapses once again cost them dearly. The decisive goal came after a sequence of sloppy play involving Xavi Simons and Micky van de Ven, who both combined to lose possession in the build-up to Joao Pedro’s strike. The chaos didn’t end there. Pedro Porro was guilty of cheaply giving the ball away in the first half, nearly gifting Chelsea another chance, while Kevin Danso endured a torrid evening trying to contain Pedro’s pace and movement.
Danso, who had impressed in recent weeks, looked off the pace throughout and was eventually hooked on the hour mark for Cristian Romero, who made his return from injury. By that point, the damage had already been done. The defensive unit looked disjointed, the midfield was sluggish in transition, and the attack offered little reprieve from the relentless pressure imposed by Enzo Maresca’s men.
Toothless attack, lifeless creativity
Going forward, Spurs were simply void of ideas. They failed to register a single big chance and had just 15 touches inside Chelsea’s penalty area, compared to the visitors’ 36. The hosts struggled to link midfield and attack effectively, leaving Randal Kolo Muani completely isolated up front. The French loanee battled gamely but was starved of service throughout, his frustration growing as the game wore on.
Much of the responsibility to create fell on Mohammed Kudus, who maintained an impressive 96% pass completion rate but failed to produce a single key pass or successful cross. His tidy distribution counted for little as Spurs struggled to penetrate Chelsea’s defensive lines. Yet, it was Xavi Simons, the club’s marquee summer signing, who attracted the most scrutiny.
Simons’ struggles deepen
When Spurs failed to land top targets like Eberechi Eze and Morgan Gibbs-White, the hierarchy turned to Simons as the creative spark to elevate the team’s attacking threat. His pedigree was unquestionable — a La Masia graduate, a star performer at RB Leipzig, and a player once heralded as one of Europe’s brightest young playmakers. His record in Germany spoke volumes: 22 goals and 24 assists in 78 appearances.
However, the transition to Premier League football has proven far more punishing. Simons has managed just one assist and no goals in 12 appearances, and his confidence looks to have evaporated. Against Chelsea, he endured arguably his worst outing in a Spurs shirt. Originally benched, he was thrust into action early after Lucas Bergvall’s injury but offered almost nothing of note.
According to Alasdair Gold of Football.London, who awarded him a brutal 3/10 rating, Simons “was a passenger against the team he was linked with all summer.” He lost possession 14 times, failed to record a single shot or key pass, and was eventually substituted off after a desperate display. His error in the buildup to Chelsea’s winner summed up a night to forget, and a reckless late challenge on Alejandro Garnacho earned him a booking that reflected his growing frustration.
A worrying pattern for Tottenham
The concern for Frank and the Spurs hierarchy is that this is not an isolated incident. The team has now kept just two clean sheets in their last eight games and won only two of those fixtures. Their home record is particularly alarming, with only three wins from 14 Premier League matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2025.
While Daniel Levy’s departure as chairman has brought more patience to the club’s leadership, there remains significant pressure on Frank to turn things around. The boos that rang out full-time were not just about one performance — they were a reflection of weeks of stagnation and decline.
Simons’ situation is particularly worrying because it mirrors the downfall of another big-money signing — Tanguy Ndombele. Like Simons, Ndombele arrived amid great fanfare and promise but struggled to adapt to the intensity and physicality of English football. As Daily Mail journalist Dan Ripley once wrote of Ndombele, he was a player who “should have cemented Tottenham’s place in the top four for another season.” Instead, he faded away — much as Simons appears to be doing now.
Conclusion
Thomas Frank faces a defining period in his Tottenham tenure. His team looks disjointed, confidence is draining fast, and big-name signings like Simons are failing to deliver. For a side that entered the season with hopes of building on their European success, the reality has been sobering. Unless Frank can inspire a turnaround — and quickly — Tottenham’s season risks spiraling further into mediocrity.