Kenneth Perez and Pierre van Hooijdonk are deeply impressed by the performance of Xavi Simons. On Thursday evening, PSV won 2-0 against Arsenal in the Europa League, as a result of which the Eindhoven team secured a place in the knockout phase. The analysts give during Studio Europe from ESPN shows that the midfielder annex attacker played an important part in the impressive victory of Ruud van Nistelrooij’s team.
“Xavi Simons was very good today”, begins Perez immediately after the European game. “You are now talking about one of the top teams in the Premier League. So it’s interesting to see if you’re physically standing. But Simons was really good though. In the Dutch competition he has already shown that he is good, but that is of a different level. Today in the Europa League he shows it too, and now it is against Arsenal: the number one in the Premier League.”
“So I was curious how he would hold up,” Perez continues. “Based on speed, physical strength and cleverness, he held his own. He’s not the biggest, but I think he’s really super muscular. Thanks to his cleverness and quick handling of the ball, he made an impression. He was not easy to keep up with by the opponent at speed. He can play in the striker as well as on the right, although I found him better on the right side,” said the analyst, who hears how Van Hooijdonk goes one step further.
Van Hooijdonk believes that Simons had already proven himself prior to the match with Arsenal. “For me, he has already shown enough to qualify for the final World Cup squad. I think he is the most important player at PSV this season with Cody Gakpo. Why would this be a benchmark against Arsenal? I now consider him one of the three best players in the Dutch league. For me this was an important measuring point. This is much more important than ten Eredivisie matches,” concludes the former striker.