Postecoglou owes everything to Forster after what happened in Tottenham v Fulham
Ange Postecoglou will have briefly forgotten about Guglielmo Vicario’s injury as Fraser Forster rescued a point for Tottenham against Fulham on Sunday.
Spurs took the lead through the high-flying Brennan Johnson, latching onto a ball from Timo Werner to fire past Bernd Leno, but with the Cottagers creating chances, they could not hold out for three points.
Substitute Tom Cairney netted the equaliser just 13 minutes after Johnson’s opener on 1 December and it could have been much worse in North London if not for Postecoglou’s goalkeeper.
It is believed that Vicario could be sidelined for months, having broken his ankle and requiring surgery, and many eyebrows were raised after Postecoglou said no goalkeeper would be bought in January.
However, 36-year-old Forster has taken to the first-choice ‘keeper spot like a duck to water, helping Spurs to avoid defeat against AS Roma in the Europa League and now against Fulham in the Premier League.
Fraser Forster keeps level head in Tottenham draw v Fulham
Vicario is lauded for his ability with the ball at his feet, showcasing exactly that with an 87 per cent passing accuracy against Manchester City [FotMob], leaving difficult shoes to be filled.
With a 78 per cent passing accuracy against the Cottagers, and 25 per cent long ball accuracy, Forster is finding it hard to adapt his game to fit Spurs’ style, but his shot-stopping is not faltering at all [FotMob].
The veteran made five saves during the draw at Hotspur Way, forcing Fulham to settle for a draw despite having a 1.38xG at full-time compared to Spurs’ 0.65xG [FotMob].
With Vicario ranking in the top 81 percentile for touches, the top 80 percentile for crosses stopped and the top 90 percentile for defensive actions outside the penalty areas [FBref], it will be difficult for Postecoglou to forget about him.
However, if Forster can continue with these performances, he will help Spurs to refrain from entering into the January transfer market for a new ‘keeper.
In other Tottenham news, Dominic Solanke’s absence was explained ahead of Spurs v Fulham.
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