Thomas Frank facing Tottenham headache over Xavi Simons as Lucas Bergvall creates dilemma
Simons might benefit from playing in a more central position but Bergvall shone against West Ham and leaves Frank with a nice problem
LUCAS BERGVALL AND XAVI SIMONS CELEBRATE AS SPURS EASE TO A 3-0 WIN AT WEST HAM
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A Tottenham midfielder scoring his first Premier League goal, providing an assist and leading the team to a comfortable win over West Ham.
Had that been presented as the script ahead of Saturday’s trip to the London Stadium, the pieces on a dream debut for Xavi Simons would have swiftly started to take shape.
Instead, though, it was Lucas Bergvall who took centre stage and justified Thomas Frank’s decision to restore him to the starting line-up.
The 19-year-old scored a brilliant looping header to double Spurs’ lead in the 3-0 win, having made a great run in behind and been perfectly picked out by Cristian Romero. He then set up Micky van de Ven to seal victory.
“I really like his energy, his enthusiasm,” Frank said after the match.
BERGVALL JUSTIFIED FRANK’S DECISION TO RESTORE HIM TO THE SPURS SIDE AT THE LONDON STADIUM
“He’s part of driving the team. There’s so much more to come from him because he also sometimes needs to… he’s young, so, okay, when do I play a little bit slower? When do I play a little bit quicker? When do I get to these positions?
“But now with the energy, the pressing and running in behind, a fantastic goal, very impressed with him.”
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As Frank alluded to, Bergvall can at times be too keen to make things happen. He plays at a frantic pace, whether that be harrying the opposition off the ball or driving forward when in possession.
Learning when to calm things down will come as he matures but Bergvall has huge potential and provides something different in the Spurs midfield.
He did not start when Bournemouth beat Spurs a fortnight ago and in his absence there was a lack of drive in the middle of the pitch. Bergvall always shows for the ball, is deceptively strong on it and makes those runs in behind to stretch a defence.
His performance against West Ham was superb and he deserves regular minutes in the weeks and months ahead. That, though, leaves Frank with a dilemma.
Simons has been brought in to provide the creative spark in midfield and his most natural position is No10. He started on the left wing at the London Stadium but was not hugely involved. It was a performance that suggests Frank needs to get the Dutchman in a more central position.
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Where that leaves Bergvall is uncertain. Spurs already look much more stable for having Joao Palhinha at the base of midfield providing the solid platform, while Pape Matar Sarr has been in top form this season and has quickly become a firm favourite of Frank’s.
Assuming Simons does play ahead of them in the No10 role, Bergvall faces a fight to get in the team. The Swede can, of course, play in a slightly deeper role, and against teams at home where Spurs will have plenty of the ball, Frank could be tempted to start both Bergvall and Simons in midfield.
Whether the Spurs boss is willing to disrupt the solidity provided by the likes of Palhinha, Sarr and Rodrigo Bentancur remains to be seen, but Bergvall is doing his best to force Frank’s hand.
The early signs suggest that Simons will take time to get up to speed at his new club and produce his best. If Bergvall can deliver more performances like the one at the London Stadium, it will be much easier for Spurs to be patient.
