View: Guglielmo Vicario has well and truly arrived as the Tottenham number one
After a shaky competitive debut for Tottenham against Brentford, Guglielmo Vicario was absolutely phenomenal against Manchester United, keeping a clean sheet during a 2-0 win.
Hugo Lloris, who? Although the Frenchman is still on the books at Hotspur Way, Vicario’s performance in the victory against Manchester United will have put him well and truly out of the minds of supporters, as they turn their focus to their brand-new Italian shot-stopper.
Many would have felt concerned after the 26-year-old’s nervous first match at the Gtech Community Stadium during the club’s 2-2 draw with Brentford, but any concerns would have been well and truly put to bed after his heroics against Erik ten Hag’s men. Ange Postecoglou has certainly discovered he has a shot-stopper upon whom he can rely.
A test against one of the Premier League’s biggest clubs is by no means easy, and Vicario passed it with flying colours and in doing so, ushered in a new era in North London. French flags will now be replaced with the Green, Red and White of Italy as there is a new goalkeeper in town.
If there was ever a performance to silence your critics, Vicario provided an absolute blueprint for how it should be done during the match against Manchester United. There aren’t many other sides you would pick to register your first clean sheet at your new club against.
His six stops prevented 1.46 expected goals and he completed 34 out of his 37 passes, a successful passing accuracy of 92 per cent. In addition to this, the one time he ran out he dealt with it and he made three accurate long passes from the six he attempted (Sofascore).
And a lot of the saves he made weren’t just catches from shots that were hit straight at him, they were really expert stops.
In the above images, Anthony can be seen slipping the ball in-behind for Marcus Rashford, and Vicario is already alert to the danger, as can be seen by his stance.
He comes out to meet Rashford and makes himself big, saving the striker’s shot with his right hand.
Later on in the match, with the score at 1-0, he made an important stop to deny Casemiro from levelling the contest.
The ball was floated into the box from a free-kick on the right-hand side, and the Brazil international midfielder rose highest, heading it goalward.
Nonetheless, Vicario was equal to it and produced a fine fingertip save which showcased both his reaction speed and athleticism.
Both of the two stops highlighted were very different, the former demonstrating his awareness rather than athleticism, and they will both will leave Tottenham supporters feeling very optimistic about the talent they could potentially have on their hands. At the age of 26, there is still plenty of room for him to improve, and those same supporters will be hoping to see that improvement as the season goes on.
In other Tottenham news, John Wenham believes that the women’s team must now deliver after last season’s underwhelming campaign.