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Xavi Simons

It's so true, but we are not even getting to the point of playing football up to the forwards though. We have enough midfielders who can pass a ball, yet it's all sideways, back and hoof it long.

It's no coincidence that the only decent performances we've really had is against an underbaked PSG and Emirates Marketing Project. Two teams who come onto you, therefore allowed us to hit our usual long balls to actually work for our forwards to run into. But most teams unlike when playing Brentford, sit back against us and ask us to play football and break them down. And we literally don't know how to do it....

All points I agree with. I just despair every time our forwards eventually get the ball. I’d say they’re bottom half of the table standard.
 
Time doesn't just mean playing time. He's a 22 year old who's signed on a big transfer, getting used to life in a new country and playing in a team that is really struggling. There is absolutely no way any judgement should be passed on him for a long time yet.
Completely agree, i always think the upheaval involved in a move abroad to someone's personal life is under estimated. I appreciate he has managers/money to make it smoother, but the adjustment to a new environment/country is still massive. And he doesn't necessarily have the time to adapt, just expected to hit the ground running, not just in footballing terms either. I think players who move abroad and perform immediately are more the exception, not the rule.
 
Time doesn't just mean playing time. He's a 22 year old who's signed on a big transfer, getting used to life in a new country and playing in a team that is really struggling. There is absolutely no way any judgement should be passed on him for a long time yet.
Seen enough of him previously to know he has the quality to succeed here. The PL is a very special league, every overseas player and manager who comes here says the same thing - the speed and intensity is like no other. To me he looks surprised at how quickly opposing players are on him, just needs a bit of time to get used to it all.

By this time next year I think he will be looking really good for us....
 
I do not think he will ever be good for us in the PL, I think Chelsea looked at him and said that he is too weak to play PL and therefore opted out of buying him. And we probably panicked with Maddison injury and took a chance.
 
I do not think he will ever be good for us in the PL, I think Chelsea looked at him and said that he is too weak to play PL and therefore opted out of buying him. And we probably panicked with Maddison injury and took a chance.
You don't show interest in player then 'look at him'. They would have been well aware of what he could and couldn't do before he became a target....
 
Time doesn't just mean playing time. He's a 22 year old who's signed on a big transfer, getting used to life in a new country and playing in a team that is really struggling. There is absolutely no way any judgement should be passed on him for a long time yet.

We certainly were spoilt when a 21 year old Kulusevski scored on his debut (helping to end a 3 match losing streak) and immediately improved our team 3 Februarys ago.


Hopefully young Xavi Simons will get a goal to boost his confidence and can settle here, rather than continuing to be a talented journeyman flittering around Europe.
 
He was ok but not the son we knew and loved

Because....

Shock.....

Players sometimes need time, nurture, good players round them and............ding ding ding time

Problem is for some fans, and its a thing (as we see with Frank not being Glasner or Ange) Xavi is not Eze, so people use bias to punch down.

He has not been good, we can see that, but throwing in the towel on a player (which some are) this early is utterly mental
 
We certainly were spoilt when a 21 year old Kulusevski scored on his debut (helping to end a 3 match losing streak) and immediately improved our team 3 Februarys ago.


Hopefully young Xavi Simons will get a goal to boost his confidence and can settle here, rather than continuing to be a talented journeyman flittering around Europe.

I have a list of goal scoring debutants and it's safe to say it's not the best way to judge a player! :D https://thfcdb.com/collections/goal-scoring-debutants

Some players come in and work immediately. The two VDVs, James Maddison etc. But just as many, probably more, take a long time to get going.

Edit: not important in this discussion but Kulusevski actually made his debut vs Brighton. Emirates Marketing Project was his first start: https://thfcdb.com/matches/2021-22/brighton-hove-albion-05-feb-2022
 
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