Tottenham: Joe Cole raises Guglielmo Vicario ‘problem’ after what he saw v West Ham United
Joe Cole believes Guglielmo Vicario is leaving his Tottenham team-mates on edge with the way he deals with set-pieces into the box.
Kurt Zouma headed in an equaliser for West Ham in Tuesday’s (2 April) 1-1 draw at London Stadium after getting on the end of a corner.
Vicario was stranded on his line as Zouma got to Jarrod Bowen’s delivery and glanced in to cancel out Brennan Johnson’s earlier opener.
How much did Tottenham pay for Guglielmo Vicario?
Speaking on TNT Sports during half-time of the match [2 April, 9:11pm], Cole said: “West Ham have looked a threat from set-pieces.
“They’re crowding Vicario. If you watch the clip, [Yves] Bissouma is there trying to protect Vicario, but the keeper goes, and is in no man’s land.
“This is where West Ham can get into the game because Tottenham look so nervy from set-pieces.
“When you have a keeper who doesn’t come for crosses, it makes you wary. Every set-piece is a problem; you second guess what you’re doing.”
Vicario has been superb for Tottenham in his maiden campaign at the club, having joined from Empoli for £17.2million [Sky Sports], but this is an area Ange Postecoglou will want him to work on.
As per the Premier League’s official website, Vicario has registered 28 ‘high claims’ this season, which is collecting an aerial ball into the box.
For comparison, that is equal with Brentford’s Mark Flekken and is bettered by six other goalkeepers, with Wolves’ Jose Sa top of the list (40).
Ange Postecoglou’s style of play at Tottenham
Vicario could certainly show more of a presence in that regard, then, but he more than makes up for that shortcoming in other departments.
The Italian’s 92-per-cent pass accuracy inside his own half, for example, is key to the style of play Postecoglou wants to play [Sofascore].
That figure drops to 18 per cent in terms of his success rate in picking out a team-mate in the opposition half, while it is a more-than-respectable 82 per cent overall.
And rather tellingly, Vicario’s 1,428 passes this season is a tally that only two others can better in the Premier League.
The 27-year-old therefore remains key for Postecoglou, and could potentially be world-class should he iron out those other shortcomings.
In other Tottenham news, Daniel Levy may now reconsider a financial decision after a protest from supporters.
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