Are Tottenham Hotspur actually going to get relegated? Given that they were missing ten senior first-team figures for Sunday's 2-1 defeat at Craven Cottage, new manager Igor Tudor has very limited options from which to choose, although that is not the case in goal. So, he should consider leaving out Guglielmo Vicario and giving Antonín Kinský an opportunity, something predecessor Thomas Frank never did.
Ahead of Thursday night's clash with Crystal Palace, the pressure was cranked up on Spurs just that little bit more. That's because the night before, West Ham United won 1-0 at Fulham. In the meantime, Nottingham Forest came from behind twice to draw 2-2 with Manchester City which, worse still for Spurs supporters, massively helped Arsenal's title aspirations.
At the bottom, Tottenham are now just one point clear of both West Ham and Forest, meaning they could find themselves in the bottom three by the time they kick off at Anfield on 15 March. To avoid this fate, the Lilywhites must beat Crystal Palace at home on Thursday night and, ahead of this massive clash, Tudor should consider a bold decision in goal.
Guglielmo Vicario has slowly withered away at Tottenham
Replacing Hugo Lloris as Tottenham's first-choice goalkeeper was never going to be easy, given that the French World Cup winner made 447 appearances for the club, only eight men have more. To fill this role, Ange Postecoglou chose Guglielmo Vicario and, three seasons into the Italian's time in North London, he is still yet to look convincing.
Statistics | Guglielmo Vicario | PL rank |
|---|---|---|
Goals conceded | 43 | 3rd |
Goals conceded from shots outside the box | 10 | 1st |
Shots on target faced | 117 | 3rd |
Saves | 75 | 8th |
Save % | 64.1% | 19th |
Punches | 18 | 11th |
High claims | 21 | 10th |
Runs out | 22 | 4th |
Errors leading to a goal | 2 | 3rd |
Average rating | 6.87 | 8th |
Note: Statistics via FBref & SofaScore.
In the Premier League this season, Vicario has faced the third-most shots, but ranks fourth-bottom in terms of save percentage, above only Bernd Leno, Sam Johnstone and Lucas Perri.
Overall, Vicario's statistics are generally pretty middling if not alarming; only Emi Martínez and Nick Pope have been responsible for more errors leading to a goal, while the fact he ranks fourth in terms of runs out underlines Spurs' chaotic back-line. In short, the 29-year-old is simply not a calming presence nor a commanding figure, so does Antonín Kinský deserve an opportunity?
The Czech international arrived last January as Spurs searched far and wide for someone better than Fraser Forster. The 22-year-old made ten appearances last season, before being sidelined upon Vicario's return from injury, and has seen just two outings this time round, both in the EFL Cup against Doncaster and Newcastle.
Ahead of October's visit to St James' Park, there was some talk among Spurs supporters that Kinský could displace Vicario, only for a less-than-convincing display on Tyneside to quieten that chatter. Nevertheless, as Tudor searches for any solutions to Spurs' slide towards oblivion, he needs to change something, and the goalkeeper is a rare spot he does have a choice to make, so why not give Kinský a chance?