Tottenham Hotspur were alarmingly poor again this week in a 0-0 draw with Monaco that should have been a loss. In all honesty, Spurs looked even worse against Monaco than they did at the weekend in an actual 2-1 loss to Aston Villa in the Premier League.
It's been a long time since Spurs have had a truly impressive performance, and this game against Monaco was really more like a 3-0 loss on the pitch. But like the 1-0 loss to Bournemouth that should have been 5-0, Spurs were saved their blushes by more heroics in goal from Guglielmo Vicario.
What makes Vicario's legitimate 10 out of 10 outing against Monaco, with, per Sofascore, 2.86 expected goals saved in one game alone, even more impressive is the narrative surrounding the Italian international coming into the game.
Vicario was seen as Enemy No. 1 by some rather hysterical Tottenham supporters. While they were rightfully upset about the two goals Vicario allowed and his poor handling and positioning, it is remarkable how quickly fans forget Vicario's best games, ignore the statistics that show Vicario is one of the Premier League's top shot-stoppers, and turn on the keeper if he has a couple of bad plays.
Tottenham would be worse without Guglielmo Vicario
Although advocating for Antonin Kinsky to get more minutes is appropriate and honestly smart, given the young goalkeeper's incredible upside, that argument clearly does not have to come at the cost of scapegoating Vicario or acting as if he brings nothing positive to the table.
From now on, anyone having a go at Vicario and calling him the problem for Tottenham should simply be referred to both this game against Monaco and the one against Bournemouth earlier in the 2025/26 Premier League campaign.
Without Vicario, Tottenham would be in worse shape right now. For the flaws that are indeed there, Vicario more than makes up for them with sheer brilliance that very, very few goalkeepers on this planet are capable of replicating.
It's wild how it's always the same few players who get blamed whenever Tottenham lose even though they are actually quality footballers. Vicario and Mathys Tel are favorites of the usual forum and Reddit bashers who like to alienate a couple of visible players for mistakes, but these same players are capable of difference-making plays that change games - or entirely rewrite them, as Vicario did on Wedneday night when he pulled a point straight out of his behind.