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It was a game where Son Heung-min, who was leading the attack, felt his absence.
Tottenham won 1-0 in the first game of the European Champions League (UCL) league stage in the 2025-2026 season against Villarreal at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in London, England on the 17th (Korea time).
Tottenham, with manager Thomas Frank, the best stage in Europe in three years, started the league stage in a good mood with their first win. It was a game that featured a tight defense that did not allow a single effective shot against Villarreal, the opponent.
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However, there was also a regret. A lackluster Tottenham attack was the problem. Tottenham did not score a goal other than the lucky own goal that gave them the victory. The effective shot was also in the first inning, and the firepower shown in the previous match against West Ham could not be found.
The BBC of England also said, "'Tottenham is not going to play a strong game with a tough victory. Tottenham, with impressive wins over West Ham and Manchester City, also looked concerned after losing to Bournemouth. This Villarreal exhibition was similar. He pointed out that the play in attack was terrible, and the pass was sloppy.
It was Xavi Simmons who received attention along with regret in the attack. Simmons is a key resource brought by Tottenham after repeated failed recruitment this summer. Initially, it was close to going to Chelsea, but at the end of the transfer, it turned to Tottenham. Expectations were high. There were many evaluations that he would be Tottenham's new ace because he had already shown his best skills on the Dutch and German stages. The number was also enough to raise expectations for Simmons. Simmons drew attention when he immediately picked Son Heung-min's number seven.
In the previous match against West Ham, he seemed to immediately rise as an ace with a better-than-expected performance. The British media played a solid game, and Tottenham fans gave him outstanding praise. He is expected to grow into a key player for Thomas Frank. Tottenham fans also praised him, saying, `He's our superstar.'
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However, after just one game, the evaluation was reversed again. Simmons played as the left winger of the game and played 77 minutes. He recorded one key pass and two shots, but it was also clear that he was disappointed, including 0% cross success rate and 44% ground ball competition success rate. In particular, in the second half, he was on the verge of being sent off by committing a foul on Nicolas Pepe while already receiving a warning. Fortunately, the referee did not give an additional warning and overcame the crisis, but Tottenham's atmosphere could be greatly dampened.
Coach Frank also mentioned his regret for Simmons. He said "There is a clear need for improvement"It was often too short or too long. There were definitely some different parts. I have no choice but to admit that it takes a little relationship to develop his breathing with Jed Spence."
Simmons, who joined Tottenham to become the new ace, but it does not seem easy to fill all the vacancies of the previous seven main characters right now.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
