Guglielmo Vicario has revealed the touching gesture Ange Postecoglou made before the Europa League final, giving Tottenham players an emotional lift on the biggest night of their careers.
Winning silverware is never easy in football, let alone clinching a European trophy. A lot has to go your way if you are to emerge as a winner, and often, you have to make your own luck – that was certainly the case with Tottenham Hotspur throughout their Europa League campaign.
Spurs overcame every challenge thrown their way in Europe this season, showing different facets of their game across varying opposition and circumstances, which ultimately led to them ending a 17-year-long wait for silverware.
Tottenham are champions of Europe after winning the Europa League, following their 1-0 triumph over Manchester United in Spain at the San Mames Stadium.
Guglielmo Vicario shares what Ange Postecoglou did for Tottenham before the Europa League final
Guglielmo Vicario was a big part of Spurs’ success in Europe this season, and Vicario’s underlying stats from the final underline just how instrumental he was to Tottenham’s success on the night.
The Italian shotstopper who made crucial stops from Shaw and Garnacho during the clash has now opened up on what exactly the Tottenham manager did to galvanise his side ahead of the Europa League final, shedding light on a moment that clearly left a mark.
Vicario has stated that Spurs’ preparation ahead of the game included Postecoglou gathering video messages from the players’ families, which were then shown in the team hotel before his simple dressing room speech.
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Vicario said, as relayed by football.lodon: “The message [in the dressing room] was just to do our things, to play for us, for our fans and especially for our fans who were here to support us in the stands.
“We had an emotional video from our families in the pre-match meeting. It was very emotional and I think in the back of our minds they played a big part of the game tonight.
“It was at the hotel. We had the preparation of the game as well as this brilliant video. My mum and my dad [spoke in my video]. They were here celebrating with me on the pitch. They said just to fight for this badge, to fight for Tottenham Hotspur and to make them happy.”
Guglielmo Vicario backs Postecoglou to lead Spurs forward
Ange Postecoglou has shown throughout Tottenham’s Europa League run that he is a manager who can adapt his style when needed, and Guglielmo Vicario’s latest revelations show just how good a man-manager the Australian is.
The Spurs manager’s future remains uncertain, given his dismal Premier League record, but Vicario also made it clear that he wants Postecoglou to remain at the helm.
He said: “Yeah of course. He’s my gaffer. He’s the person who decided to bring me to this football club. I just have to be very thankful to him for how much he believed since day one, since he wanted me to sign for this football club.
“I’m very happy for him, for what we achieved altogether tonight. It’s a brilliant night, he deserves this a lot. He drove us brilliantly this season. It’s a big credit to him.”
He added: “He said to us many times since the beginning [that the Europa League would be the trophy we would focus on]. Also last season he said this group is going to change something, it’s going to change the history of this football club and we did it, so credit to him. He was the first to start to believe in something special and we did it tonight, it’s unbelievable.”
The Tottenham goalkeeper also stated that he believes this latest cup win would help change the mindset that people have about Spurs.
He continued: “The most important thing is we won. It’s a big achievement for the club, for the fans. An important night, an historic night for everyone that loves this football club so I’m very happy.”
“A victory like this, it starts to change something in the back of the mind of a lot of people that maybe they didn’t give credit to us in some situations this season. It’s been a tough season but now we won a trophy, we make history, we will play in the Champions League next season so it’s been a good night.”