Xavi Simons has been dazzling at PSV for months, but rarely has he generated as much conversation as after the match against Feyenoord this Sunday. Although Van Nistelrooy’s men failed to win, and he did not score (he did give an assist), Simons was one of the team’s great news. His coach only had praise for him after the game: “I saw some bright spots. Seeing Xavi Simons play today has been fantastic. It’s incredible that he plays like that at that age (19 years old). How strong he is mentally, how much he helps us under pressure, how important he is offensively…”.
And he was not the only one. The gatherings also had good words for the Barça and PSG youth squad. Van der Vaart, on the show Studio Voetbal of US, explained: “When I had the ball, there was peace at PSV. He is an incredible player”. “I think he is the best player the Dutch team has right now. If I were Koeman, I would build the team around him. Not only for this game, but for all his talent”, he sentenced.
Valentijn Driessen, on the podcast kick-off of De Telegraafsays that “he cannot be asked to carry the weight of the team for the next 14 games because he is 19 years old, but no one comes close to his level”. “I think it is obvious that he will become top. It has many qualities. He is a player with the potential to be a Robben or a Van Persie.”.
In the same program, Afellay also showed amazement at his maturity: “He has not turned 20 and is already indispensable for PSV. Everything starts with him, all the danger comes from him. And his defensive work… this guy is a warrior. The attitude with which he plays is a sight to behold. He’s incredibly strong. He never loses the ball, he is always in control”. His Olocip data is spectacular:
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Since Gakpo’s departure to Liverpool, Xavi Simons has become even more important for PSV. Although in theory he starts as a winger, he covers a lot of the field and directs most of the team’s dangerous attacks. Dutch analysts point to his incredible level and physical strength for such a young age. “He dribbles very well between the lines. He draws the attention of rivals and frees his teammates. At 0-1, nine out of ten players would have passed it to Luuk de Jong, but he waited and found El Ghazi. He is small, but he really is very strong. He always finds a way out, he is very smart for his age”. “At PSV they did not expect this performance”, explains Marciano Vink.
Kenneth Pérez, for his part, believes it is important that he has grown in two major leagues like the Spanish and the French: “He played against physically strong opponents. He’s small, but you don’t see many 19-year-olds being that strong.” “It is very good that he is already the leader of PSV at that age”, says Mario Been. In fact, he is the most impactful young player in the league for Olocip:
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