'It was nothing!' - Thomas Frank plays down rift with zero-goal Xavi Simons despite £52m playmaker being double-substituted in Tottenham's loss to Chelsea

Simons, who came close to joining Chelsea this summer before signing for Tottenham in a £52 million ($68m) deal from RB Leipzig, started the game on the bench, but was introduced as a seventh-minute substitute when Lucas Bergvall was forced off with a head injury. However, with Spurs chasing a goal, Frank chose to take Simons back off on 73 minutes, replacing him with Wilson Odobert. This means Simons has now gone 12 games without scoring for the north Londoners, while he has also contributed only one assist in that time. Nevertheless, Frank is adamant the 22-year-old won't dwell on what was ultimately a tactical decision.

When asked by GOAL if he was concerned over Simons' confidence and whether this substitution would make matters worse, Frank replied: "No, it's part of the reason we didn't start him because he's played two starts in a short turnaround. It’s that energy and freshness I talked about. He played 90 minutes on Wednesday night [against Newcastle], so that’s why we decided that [to bench him]. He played 70 minutes here. So I think it was nothing, it's just it looks different that he comes on after a few minutes then gets subbed off."

Frank was then asked if Simons' inability to create chances on Saturday frustrated him, to which the Dane said: "I think when players make mistakes on the pitch, if they lose a ball or miss a pass, of course I can get irritated in general in a specific situation. But that's part of football. How many times have you seen a player miss a pass or do something that happens, that can be flow or confidence or everything. Whatever it is, mistakes are part of football."

Bergvall was furious that he had to be withdrawn for Simons in the first place, but Frank confirmed the Sweden midfielder was hauled off due to worries over a concussion and praised Spurs' medical team for putting his safety first.

Frank added: "That was a concussion. We were told he couldn't stay on and I think the medical team did a good job in that aspect. Even though he wanted to stay on, it's the right decision.

"Of course we would’ve loved to have him continue, that’s why we picked him in the starting XI. Unfortunately that couldn’t happen, so others will step in. Xavi knew the game plan."

Frank was clearly in a low mood at his press conference but he insisted he will digest the result over the next 24 hours before looking to Spurs' next fixtures, with his new side still inside the Premier League's top four, one place above Chelsea, despite Saturday's showing.

Tottenham have two home fixtures before the November international break, hosting Copenhagen in the Champions League on Tuesday before Manchester United are the visitors in Premier League action next Saturday. The biggest game of Frank's reign so far will follow later in the month, with a trip to runaway league leaders Arsenal in the north London derby creeping over the horizon.

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