Over the years, PSV Eindhoven has become the perfect footballing hub for up and coming young footballing stars to hone their skills, develop, mature on a personal level whilst announcing themselves on the European stage.
Over the past few years alone, the club has successfully integrated and developed some of Europe’s most coveted footballing stars, some leaving onto pastures new, and others still making their name at the decorated Dutch outfit.
Steven Bergwijn, Memphis Depay, Georgino Wijnaldum, Donyell Malen, Gianluca Scamacca are only a number of the well renowned stars who previously enjoyed their youthful years at the Phillips Stadion.
Noni Madueke, Jordan Teze, Armando Obispo and Cody Gakpo are a few of the current crop currently making their name under the tutelage of arguably one of the club’s most prestigious and successful footballing products in Ruud Van Nistelrooy who is the club’s current coach, appointed in March 2022.
However, PSV’s reliable trend of providing youth with opportunities isn’t slowing down. The Red & Whites are currently harnessing a stunning talent you may have come across in the past. If you’re an avid follower of football in Europe and all it’s complexities especially within the young and emerging stars department, then you will be fairly familiar with the name Xavi Simons.
The curly-haired and wiry-eyed Dutchman has been a subject of much internet hype in the past, ever since he was a child, playing in Barcelona’s La Masia youth academy, whilst another Xavi, the legendary Spanish midfielder, was still excelling with the club’s senior team.
Rather than veering down the unfortunate route of the likes of Bojan Krkic, or Hachim Mastour into perennial oblivion, the Amsterdam-born wonderkid underwent another route, honing his craft and development whilst still maintaining his standing as one of Europe’s most exciting teenagers.
Developing as a deep-lying midfielder at Barcelona, the Dutchman took the plunge to join French Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain in 2019 and has not looked back since. He’s only gone and transformed himself into fully burgeoning and decisive creative and attacking outlet, back in his home country Netherlands for PSV Eindhoven, after taking the decision to further enhance his development with more opportunities and exposure in the first team.
So how has gotten to this position? First we’d need to navigate through his footballing journey:
Who is Xavi Simons?
Born in the famous footballing city of Amsterdam, Netherlands, Simons is the son of former footballer Regillio Simons and is of Surinamese descent through his father. The 19-year-old also has an older brother, Faustino, born in 1996 who is also a professional footballer too.
Simons started out his career at CD Thader before joining the Barcelona youth setup in 2010, aged just seven. He quickly progressed through the ranks becoming one of the club’s most highly-rated youngsters, with fellow European giants such as Chelsea and Real Madrid reportedly attempting to add him to their ranks.
Having worked through the ranks at the Catalan giants, Simons never actually made his first team debut for Barcelona and eventually moved on to sign for Paris Saint-Germain as a free agent in 2019, having failed to agree to a contract extension with Barca. His three-year contract with the Parisian club was reportedly worth up to €1 million annually.
In March 2020, Simons was named on Goal’s “NxGn 2020” list of 50 best wonderkids in world football. He was also included in The Guardian’s “Next Generation 2020” that October.
It wasn’t until two years later, that Simons would make his PSG professional debut coming on as a substitute for Julian Draxler in a 1–0 Coupe de France win over Caen. He made his Ligue 1 debut as a substitute in a 4–1 win over Strasbourg two months later. On 19 May 2021, he was rewarded with his first taste of a professional trophy, the Coupe de France.
Ahead of the 2021/22 campaign, the teenager was included in the first team preparation during their pre-season tour by Mauricio Pochettino. He came off the bench and scored in a 4-0 friendly win over Le Mans at the Camp des Loges. He bagged another pre-season goal in a 2–2 friendly draw against Chambly three days later at the same ground, making a telling impression with some of Europe’s most elite superstars.
He eventually made his first start for PSG in a 3–0 cup win over Feignies Aulnoye in December 2021, his first ever professional start for the French champions. His next appearance came in PSG’s first match of the new year in January 2022, playing against Vannes in a 4-0 win in which he provided an assist for Kylian Mbappe. In fact, he missed the crucial final penalty in the Coupe de France quarter-final tie with OGC Nice which they lost 6-5 on penalties, and that was followed up with a first league start of the campaign in a 1-0 win over Rennes at the Parc des Princes.
Due to a lack of first team assurances for the 2022/23 campaign, the 19-year-old decided to make the bold decision to look for opportunities elsewhere, and that would lead him to take the smart punt back in his country of birth in search of some first team football. In June 2022, the 19-year-old signed for Dutch Eredivisie giants PSV Eindhoven on a five-year contract.
Although he was initially expected to extend his contract with PSG and join PSV on loan, the situation changed when PSV no longer wanted a loan deal. However, PSG negotiated a buy-back clause in Simons’ contract, which comes into effect in 2023.
Four months on, the decision to leave the graces of Paris and return to his homeland has proven a masterstroke decision for Simons as he has developed rapidly under the tutelage of former PSV, Manchester United and Real Madrid striker Van Nistelrooy who was appointed new PSV coach replacing the outgoing Roger Schmidt last summer.
At international level, Simons has impressively risen through the ranks representing all of the Netherlands’ youth teams ranging from the Under-15s to the Under-21s. It won’t be long before he’s making the expected grade in the senior squad, and his inclusion the preliminary squad for the World Cup in November has been met with much approval and excitement. There’s no reason why he can’t become an outside bet for a spot on the plane to Qatar for Louis Van Gaal’s Oranje’s.
What’s Simons’ style of play?
When you’ve been schooled and moulded in Barcelona’s famous La Masia youth academy, you’re heavily prone to pick up a few unique footballing characteristics as well as the tactical nous to become effective in various positions. Xavi Simons is no different. In fact, he’s arguably become one of the finest examples of an attacking player full mastering the term ‘Versatility’.
The 19-year-old’s skillset and footballing abilities is rather unconventional, but becoming more and more prominent in this current era. You’d find so many similar talents to Simons, certainly within Europe’s top seven leagues. Short, nimble and decorated youngsters making the grade because of their unique and unexpectedly matured tactical understanding but more crucially, their ingenuity when performing in the final third.
Throughout his relatively short career so far, Simons has been successfully utilised as a ’10’. For PSV, as expected he’s been tasked in fulfilling a number of roles under the tutelage of footballing legend Ruud Van Nistelrooy, some in central midfield as a ‘free-8’ in a 4-3-3, at times as a false-nine but mostly as a no.10 in a 4-2-3-1 formation, styles heavily utilised and born in Dutch football.
Simons is a small nimble player who loves to get on the ball, characteristics he’s been honed in mastering at youth level both for Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain. The ’10’ position, if set up right is perfect for someone of his ability. The 19-year-old has so far excelled in this role for the Dutch giants simply because of his tremendous bravery and courage to gather the ball in tight and uncomfortable areas and manipulate it or the space he’s operating in.
His versatility and ball control allows for him to be an effective asset in all the aforementioned positions. Simons often finds himself drifting into the wider channels to pick up the ball in half spaces. He is quick enough to act as a winger and also very direct once on the ball. At 5’6” tall and weighing 58kg, he remains one of the slightest players in football, but uses that to his advantage when taking on opponents or working his way out of tight spots.
Simons uses his body well when faced with such scenarios, ensuring the ball is under his control in order to progress the ball, if he can’t, he’d draw fouls making him a frustrating opponent for teams trying to maintain pressure. The 19-year-old is aggressive, and is certainly not a pushover despite his small frame.
In the UEFA Youth League in 2021/22, his starting position was clearly in the middle as his team’s lone striker, but he was essentially given total freedom to tuck in, drift wide, or play off the shoulder as he saw fit.
He is a very damaging transition threat. Rather than getting stuck playing with his back to goal, Simons comes to the ball with supreme confidence in his ability to give and go. His technical quality forged from years of playing as a midfielder in La Masia and in Paris has clearly aided him in the way he can sharply work his way through congestion.
To put it simply, Simons is a joy to watch with the ball at his feet. He is a very naturally gifted football player who travels effortlessly in possession, as stated previously, he is courageous and never shirks away from the responsibility in progressing his side into the final third. He loves to drift through the game and locating pockets of space where he can pick the ball up and effect attacking scenarios. By developing the ability to find space at the top end of the pitch, Simons is a threat to even the best outfits, as Ajax and Arsenal have found out most recently, both domestically and in European competition respectively.
When PSV are in possession, looking to progress the ball through the thirds, you’d regularly find the former La Masia product dropping deep into the space where he can receive the ball and operate on the half turn, this responsibility and tactical nous is what stands Simons out from his peers.
He is an incredibly adept and influential component in Van Nistelrooy’s positional play. Not only this, he is able to position himself well enough to create an obvious passing angle for his teammates. The lack of defensive responsibility for a no.10 when going back towards their own half means they are guaranteed to become a highly effective presence in the middle and attacking third, so this facet allows Simons to stay high up in PSV’s build-up, as shown below:
The Amsterdam-born magician positions himself well to receive the ball and become an effective outlet in between the lines, as a no.10 or even a ‘free-8’ should. The half-spaces, are where they are expected to operate in, and Simons excels in such roles. Through these positions, he’s developed a sensational relationship with the likes of Luuk de Jong and Cody Gakpo becoming the link between them and the deepest midfielders (Ibrahima Sangare or Erick Gutiérrez) or the progressive centre-backs.
Simons is quick to anticipate when a combination could come off and plays alongside the number 9. Both him and de Jong combine well and understand each other’s movement. The height of de Jong compliments Simons’ play style.
The relatively small gap between the main striker and a ’10’ means that effective combination plays can take place providing PSV with a good avenue in progressing forwards as they have good central dominance with two assertive forward players. This facet becomes even more useful when the wide players stay wide meaning more space in which the ’10’ can operate in.
These are just useful instances and scenarios to understand the way in which Simons operates. It is indeed fairly common in the modern game with more and more managers attempting to shape their attacking concepts through positional play looking to manipulate various defensive shapes in order to create goal scoring opportunities.
Why Simons is so unique in comparison to his positional peers is the methodical nature at which he operates. He is not the quickest, nor the most athletic, but he makes the most of what he has; a strong core and good lateral speed and agility to amplify the unpredictability of his ball carrying. And so while he isn’t incredibly athletic, he is hard to dispossess or body out of possession.
Again, what makes Simons so special is that he never remains in one pocket of space for long. While some number 10s love to pick up and operate in the same sections of the half-space or positions in the final third, Simons is different in that he is constantly on the move which creates numerous problems for opposition defences who can sometimes be left guarding space while Simons and his team-mates play all around them. Also, his markers will be left trying to mark the space or mark him specifically which leads to confusion especially for defences defending in a mid to a low block.
Furthermore, stating these characteristics of Simons implies that he is just a creator for PSV, but this can’t be further from the truth. For most of his career, he’s been a facilitator and creator first and a goal scorer second but for the Dutch giants, he’s propelled his game even more, now taking up the responsibility of scoring goals too. His 13 goal contributions (10 goals, 3 assists) tells it’s own story. De Jong, and Gakpo aren’t Van Nistelrooy’s only weapons in front of goal, Simons is too.
Simons’ first goal for PSV came from a wonderfully worked piece of combination play with a teammate around the top of the box, against Ajax in the Johan Cruijff Shield. The fast thinking and movement from Simons is what made the goal, as well as the composure to take it around the goalkeeper.
However, this isn’t Simons’ only mode of scoring goals, far from it. As already mentioned, his movement is first class, and that involves in behind opposition defences. One moment, he’s picking pockets in the final third, the next he’s running on to a long through ball and expertly finishing the opportunity, all within a rapid spell of swift movement and timing. Defenders simply do not know how to stay tight to him.
At the business end of the pitch, the 19-year-old is very tidy with his finishing. He is composed in and around the box making him a threat to the opposition. His role is usually to provide assists and create chances but he has chipped in with some sublime goals for PSV, a variety of very tidy and expert finishes; finishing off passing moves, running onto through balls and dinking the keeper, latching on to loose balls in the six-yard-box, you name it.
Simons’ off-the-ball movement is something which is already of a high standard and is only going to get even better. Being without the ball whilst in possession is something which happens a lot for someone who plays the ’10’ and Simons is able to understand his role and not get frustrated.
One thing in which Simons can be guilty of though, is playing too much of the safe passes. Much of the responsibility of a no.10 is to play the risky balls, that’s not to say Simons can’t play them, he can. But at times he’d choose not to. Of course, this could be construed as harsh criticism, but the best creators play these passes and it is something he will have to do if he wants to reach the top.
Off the ball, Simons works hard to give his team the best chance of regaining the ball. He is a fighter and is strong in a challenge. Along with this, he is quick to anticipate the passage of play and press. He is already in a full sprint before the ball is even halfway to the goalkeeper. His speed allows him to cover a lot of ground and press the opposition hard. His small and nimble frame means he’s capable of getting at areas of his opponents much taller players won’t be able to – he’s a terrier and not afraid to get himself about.
It’ll be hard to grab an understanding of the kind of player Xavi Simons is without taking a peek at his underlying numbers for PSV. While stats tell only half the story of a player, Simons’ reading underline a young talent punching above his weight but more crucially, of a player who will only get better with more exposure at the top level.
Underlying numbers
10 goals and three assists at the time of writing, in his first year at senior level, just four months into a season is exceptional reading. In fact, the Dutchman is exceeding expectations. He’s outperforming his xG (Expected goals) of 5.4 by 4.5 and also outperforming his xA (expected assists) of 2.1. Meaning Simons isn’t just getting himself into great positions to score and create, he’s exceeding the goals and assists probability expected of him.
Amongst his positional peers in Europe’s top seven leagues over the past 365 days, Simons ranks in the 99th percentile for goals per 90 (0.68), non-penalty goals per 90 (0.68), xG (0.46) and non-penalty xG (0.46). Considering his age, and that is just his first season playing top-level football, those numbers are phenomenal.
Not only does he rank highly for his efforts in front of goal, but in his exertions in the final third. Simons ranks in the 97th percentile of midfielders in Europe’s top seven leagues for shot-creating actions per 90 (5.30), and goal-creating actions per 90 (1.28 ) and within the 90th percentile for through balls per 90 (0.34).
Also within PSV’s progressive system, he is the outlet his more deeper teammates regularly look to find in between the lines in order for him to create opportunities, and this is shown through him ranking in the 99th percentile of midfielders for progressive passes received (7.79) meaning he stands amongst the best in Europe for his actions and influence in the final third. Much of his great work are located in the attacking third, he ranks in the 90th percentile for touches in the attacking third per 90 (25.58) and 94th percentile for touches in attacking penalty area (4.02).
He also ranks in the 83rd percentile for key passes per 90 (1.88) and 86th percentile for passes into the penalty area per 90 (1.45). Simons may not rank within the best 10% of players for those metrics but it still makes for promising reading, and this refers to his risk-averse passing in the final third. With more risk and reward in his game, he’d certainly rank higher soon enough.
Forecast for the Future
It’s clear, Xavi Simons has undergone an exceptional start to life back in his country of birth. The 19-year-old has simply made a tremendous decision in choosing PSV as the club to kick off his development in top level football as proven by his influence and effectiveness so far.
Van Nistelrooy’s system and philosophy has been a breath of fresh air for Simons, he’s excelling at a club that appreciates his unique qualities but more importantly he’s at an entity that will allow him with the freedom and room to develop and make mistakes without the scrutiny he would have suffered under had he stayed at Paris Saint-Germain.
Playing with the likes of Gakpo and De Jong has only enhanced his abilities even further. He has now propelled himself to become one of Europe’s most decorated and unique teenagers, to be honest, he was formerly heralded as such during his time in France, but we’re now seeing how great he is and phenomenal potential when playing with and against some of the best on the continent.
Soon, the likes of Gakpo will be departing his side in which we”ll truly see how Simons adjusts and steps up to the plate in his absence. For now though, he’s reveling and excelling in the moment. The World is simply his oyster, but another two or three years at the Dutch outfit will certainly do his ceiling, potential and development the world of good.
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