Xavi Simons WORRIES Man Utd

Tom Weber

Updated: 24 Sept 2024 16:03 BST
4 min read

Xavi Simons, RB Leipzig, 2023/24 — © IMAGO

Xavi Simons' start to the season is the subject of intense debate in Germany.

Article continues under the video

RB Leipzig landed a major coup when they managed to re-sign the Dutch wonderkid for another season from PSG. Last term, Simons was one of Europe's most creative and devastating players, notching 10 goals and 15 assists across all competitions.

The 21-year-old has no future at PSG and last season's form made him one of Europe's most sought-after players, so it came as a major surprise when he decided to rejoin Leipzig.

With Dani Olmo having joined Barcelona in the summer, the onus has been on Xavi to be Leipzig's chief creator, a role he pretty much already occupied in 2023/24.

However, so far in this young season, the Dutchman has struggled for form.

Xavi's form the talk of the town

The attacker had a long summer as he featured regularly for the Netherlands at Euro 2024 and he seems to be missing some of that freshness of last term.

But to put his lack of form down to just fatigue would be wrong. It goes both ways, of course. Leipzig have struggled as a team and it has not all just been down to their main creator not being at the races.

The Red Bulls have found it incredibly difficult to unlock deep defences and all of their attackers have failed to perform because they are a team more suited to transition football. The fact that they beat Bayer Leverkusen but struggled against Bochum, Union Berlin and St. Pauli nicely illustrates this.

Xavi is a player who thrives in transition. He is not rapid but he knows how to beat defenders when he can utilise space. At speed, he is devastating even if some full-backs will be able to outrun him. Teams have figured out Leipzig's - and by extension, Xavi's - weaknesses and the Dutchman's form is proof of this.

He has yet to record a single goal contribution in the Bundesliga and Champions League and only managed a goal and an assist against third-tier side Rot-Weiss Essen in the DFB-Pokal. Much like Benjamin Sesko, Xavi is still trying to come to grips with the new challenges at Leipzig.

Man Utd are said to be interested in him for 2025 and it is not hard to see why given that Erik ten Hag has stated he wants to turn the Red Devils into the 'best transition team in the world.' However, his current form is nevertheless a worry and hasn't gone unnoticed in Germany.

Leipzig goalkeeper Peter Gulacsi has admitted that the 21-year-old is 'going through a difficult phase right now' and Xavi's form is the subject of some debate in the German media.