The real reason behind Tottenham’s iron-clad Premier League defence, and it’s not Thomas Frank
Guglielmo Vicario has prevented the most goals in the Premier League this season as he continues to silence his doubters at Tottenham.
Fans were keen to see Antonin Kinsky replace Vicario earlier this season after a disappointing run of performances.
But Spurs’ 2-0 defeat to Newcastle United in the Carabao Cup saw Tottenham fans taking to social media and apologising to Vicario for doubting him.
Following that game, Tottenham suffered a 1-0 defeat to Chelsea, and if not for the strong hand of Vicario, fans would’ve endured further humiliation.
Indeed, this season has taught supporters a valuable lesson in appreciating what you have before it’s gone.
A closer inspection of Tottenham’s ‘iron-clad’ defence
Tottenham have conceded eight goals in the Premier League this season, which is the second-fewest behind league leaders Arsenal.
On the surface, that seems like a praiseworthy statistic, but a deeper delve shows that it’s extremely misleading.
Indeed, the Lilywhites have conceded 14.6 expected goals, which is the sixth most in the league this season.
To put that into perspective, three of the bottom four teams are in the top five:
- Burnley have conceded 21 expected goals and 19 actual goals
- Nottingham Forest have conceded 16.2 expected goals and 19 actual goals
- West Ham have conceded 15.7 expected goals and 21 actual goals
Furthermore, the Lilywhites aren’t exactly a high-creating team, having netted 17 goals from 10.1 expected goals. This is a huge overperformance.
As a result, something, or rather someone, has been working relentlessly to keep opponents out of Spurs’ net.
Gugilemo Vicario is Tottenham’s unsung hero this season
With 5.17 goals prevented, Vicario is the keeper who has prevented the most goals in the Premier League this season.
The gap isn’t small either, with Dean Henderson coming in at second with 3.50 goals prevented thus far.
- His runs out per game have been 100 per cent successful
- He has made 34 saves
- Vicario has conceded eight goals and has kept four clean sheets
He also has a save percentage of 81 per cent, just behind David Raya, who has saved an impressive 84.2 per cent this season, according to Sofascore.
Furthermore, he is third behind Martin Dubravka and Matz Sels for saves per 90, which is worrying considering both these keepers are playing for teams on the wrong end of the table.
What is becoming clear is that Tottenham do not have one of the best defences in the Premier League. No, the Lilywhites have the best keeper.
Therefore, Thomas Frank is not the brains behind Spurs’ iron-clad defence this season. But given Vicario’s poor performances last season, he may have been the man to unlock the Italian keeper once again.
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