Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank needs to find a way for his team to create more chances on a consistent basis after some struggles in the Premier League of late.
The Lilywhites created a staggering eight ‘big chances’ against Copenhagen in the Champions League last week, per Sofascore, but they have been unable to showcase that level of creativity on the domestic stage.
Spurs created 0.92 xG in their 2-2 draw with Manchester United in the Premier League on Saturday, per Sofascore, after creating 0.10 xG in their defeat to Chelsea at home in their previous top-flight clash.
Per FBref, Tottenham rank 14th in the Premier League for xG, with 11.0 in 11 matches, which shows that they are far away from being one of the most creative teams in the division.
The former Brentford head coach, therefore, needs to adjust his system or work harder with the players on the training pitch to ensure that they start creating more chances.
One team selection move that Frank could make to add more creativity to the team in the short-term could be to unleash Wilson Odobert from the start after his excellent cameo on Saturday.
Why Wilson Odobert should start for Spurs
The former Burnley forward came off the bench to make a significant impact against Manchester United, as he provided the assist for Richarlison’s goal with a shot that turned into a cross.
Irrespective of whether it was intended as a shot or a cross, Odobert set himself brilliantly with a perfect first touch and struck the ball superbly, with an effort that may have gone in even if Richarlison had not made contact with the ball.
The France U21 international came on at half-time for Randal Kolo Muani and added directness and excitement to the Tottenham attack with his willingness to take players on with the ball at his feet.
Minutes played
45
Shots
1
Key passes
3
Big chances created
2
Dribbles completed
2/2
Pass accuracy
100%
Duels won
4/4
As you can see in the table above, Odobert created two ‘big chances’ in 45 minutes of action, whilst being incredibly efficient as a dribbler, as a passer, and in his duels.
That impressive cameo against the Red Devils came after he started and scored in the 4-0 win over Copenhagen, which means that the forward has registered goal contributions in successive matches for the first time in his Tottenham career.
This shows that the French youngster is finally finding his feet in North London and is building positive momentum with his performances, which is why Frank should reward him with a start against Arsenal on the other side of the international break.
His direct play and invention with the ball at his feet could improve Tottenham’s creativity and go some way to solving some of the issues that they have had, creatively, in the Premier League this season.
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Of course, a player will have to be dropped from the starting line-up in order to facilitate Odobert’s return to the XI, and that unfortunate man could be summer signing Xavi Simons.
Why Spurs should drop Xavi Simons
The Netherlands international created three ‘big chances’ and registered an assist in the 4-0 win over Copenhagen in the Champions League last week, delivering a brilliant through ball for Brennan Johnson to score.
Football FanCast published an article after that match suggesting that it was the kind of performance that could kickstart his season, as it was a reminder of the kind of quality that he can provide at his best.
Unfortunately, the Dutchman, who was signed from RB Leipzig for £52m in the summer transfer window, played 79 minutes against Manchester United on Saturday without creating a single chance for his teammates, per Sofascore.
Unlike Odobert, Xavi was unable to build on his Champions League performance by following it up with productivity in the Premier League, which has been an issue for him throughout the 2025/26 campaign.
After the 2-2 draw with United, content creator Ronaldo Brown claimed “Xavi Simons is the master of taking “one touch too many” which has gotten him swallowed in the Prem”, and it is hard to disagree with that assessment.
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder has no goals and one assist, which was a corner for Pape Matar Sarr to score, in eight appearances in the Premier League so far this season, since his move from the Bundesliga.
xG
0.31
Bottom 22%
Shots on target
1
Bottom 11%
Goals
0
Bottom 3%
Chances created
6
Bottom 46%
xA
0.64
Top 47%
Assists
1
Top 49%
Touches in opposition’s box
9
Bottom 18%
As you can see in the table, Xavi ranks among the worst attacking midfielders in the Premier League in a host of key metrics, aside from his one assist, which was from a set-piece.
The Dutch playmaker is yet to show the kind of quality that saw him deliver 21 goals and 21 assists in two seasons with RB Leipzig in Germany, per Sofascore, which is why Frank should ruthlessly ditch him from the starting line-up for now.
Unfortunately, Xavi is not delivering enough quality at the top end of the pitch when given chances by Frank, whilst Odobert showed on Saturday that he can impact games in the Premier League at this stage in his development.
Frank must never start £130k-per-week Spurs duo together ever again
Tottenham ended up drawing a frenetic Premier League clash against Manchester United this weekend.
ByAngus Sinclair
Therefore, the Spurs head coach should ditch the Netherlands international from the XI to play Odobert in a central position, where he can drive forwards and make things happen for the Lilywhites.
