The recent North London derby was supposed to be a moment of redemption for Tottenham Hotspur, but instead, it served as a brutal reminder of how far the club has fallen. The 4-1 defeat at the hands of Arsenal wasn’t just another loss; it was a humiliating display that left fans questioning the very survival of the club in the top flight.
While the atmosphere at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium was briefly electric after Spurs equalized just 42 seconds after Arsenal’s opener, that hope was short-lived. As soon as the visitors shifted into a higher gear, Tottenham essentially folded.
This latest collapse means the team remains winless in the calendar year of 2026, and for the first time in a generation, the threat of relegation is no longer a punchline—it is a looming reality.
In the post-match autopsy, plenty of fingers have been pointed at the defense. Radu Dragusin and the young Archie Gray certainly struggled to contain Arsenal’s clinical front line, but the most concerning performance came from further up the pitch. Xavi Simons, the man brought in to be the creative heartbeat of this new era, was a shadow of the player Spurs fans expected him to be.
While he had shown glimpses of brilliance in previous weeks, his performance in the derby was a massive step backward. When a team is fighting for its life, it needs its stars to lead. Instead, Simons looked like a passenger.
The statistics from the match tell a damning story of a player struggling with the weight of expectation. Simons lost an incredible 14 out of his 15 individual duels. In a league as physical and fast-paced as the Premier League, losing that many battles in the middle of the park is catastrophic for the team’s structure.
Furthermore, he failed to complete a single successful dribble and gave the ball away 24 times. To put that in perspective, every time Simons tried to make something happen, he effectively handed the initiative back to an Arsenal side that was more than happy to punish every mistake.
Club insiders and correspondents have been quick to note that Simons’ issues started long before the final whistle. Early in the game, he was lucky to escape punishment after a poor pass went straight to Leandro Trossard right outside the Tottenham penalty area. While the Belgian fired over the bar, it was the kind of error that sets a nervous tone for the entire squad.
In the first half, Simons seemed unable to find the rhythm of the game, looking out of sync with his teammates and hesitant when he had the ball at his feet. Although he forced a save from David Raya early in the second half, it was a rare moment of competence in an otherwise lackluster display.
The problem for Tottenham is that they don’t have a Plan B. The squad’s recruitment was heavily focused on making Simons the primary spark. Right now, the responsibility of creating chances, gliding past defenders, and producing something out of nothing falls almost entirely on his shoulders.
He is currently the only player in the lineup with the natural profile of a high-level playmaker. When he fails to perform, the entire offensive engine of the team grinds to a halt. In a relegation battle, you simply cannot afford to have your most expensive creative outlet disappear when the pressure is at its highest.
| Xavi Simons: Performance vs Arsenal | Statistic |
| Ground Duels Won | 1 / 15 |
| Possession Lost | 24 Times |
| Successful Dribbles | 0 |
| Accurate Passes | 21 / 27 (78%) |
| Errors Leading to Shot | 1 |
Confidence in the Spurs dressing room is clearly fragile. The weight of being winless for two months is starting to show in the players’ body language, and the fear of the drop is becoming a mental hurdle. In these situations, statistics often tell only half the story.
The more worrying part of Simons’ game against Arsenal was his lack of authority. He didn’t look like a player who wanted the ball under duress. He didn’t look like someone prepared to lead his team out of a crisis. Instead, he looked overwhelmed by the intensity of a derby that Arsenal treated with far more respect and aggression.
Tottenham is currently staring down the barrel of an unthinkable disaster. The club has the stadium, the infrastructure, and the history of a giant, but they are playing like a team destined for the Championship. If they are to claw their way out of this mess, they need a catalyst.
Igor Tudor can change the formation and the training drills, but he cannot provide the individual magic that wins games in the Premier League. That has to come from Xavi Simons. He was signed to be the difference-maker, and if he doesn’t find his groove immediately, the “unthinkable” relegation might just become a historical fact.
