Guglielmo Vicario’s underlying stats have highlighted the key role the Tottenham goalkeeper played in the Lilywhites’ Europa League win over Manchester United.
Every Tottenham Hotspur fan out there would be quick to praise the club’s defensive performance against Manchester United in the final of the Europa League.
Teddy Sheringham had predicted a high-scoring 4-3 affair before kickoff, stating that both teams’ defences have been poor all season.
In the Premier League alone this campaign, Spurs have let in 61 goals in 37 games, the 16th highest in the division, while United have conceded 54, the 12th highest in the league.
However, in the Europa League final, Ange Postecoglou had other plans on the night, as we saw Tottenham defend a 1-0 lead for forty-five minutes plus added time in a 5-4-1 shape, keeping a clean sheet for the third time this season against the Red Devils.
Guglielmo Vicario shines in Tottenham’s Europa League final win
Cristian Romero was named the man of the match for the final, while Micky van de Ven stopped a certain goal with a brilliant on-the-line clearance.
Guglielmo Vicario was equally as good in the final, although he still had a few nervy moments when dealing with some crosses.
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Underlying stats from FotMob have now shown how pivotal the Italian shot-stopper was in the final against Manchester United.
According to their stats, no player on the pitch for both sides performed better than the Spurs number one, with Vicario being rated the highest player on the pitch.
The goalkeeper made five saves, four of which were inside the box, prevented 0.55 goals, had thirty-six touches, and made two high claims. He also completed fourteen out of twenty-five passes on the night.
Vicario at the heart of Spurs’ European defensive form
In the dying moments of the game, when Vicario was called into action from a Shaw header, the Italian proved equal to the task by pulling off a fine save.
He also made another outstanding stop earlier in the second half when Garnacho was introduced to the game, getting a strong hand on the Argentine’s curling effort.
While Tottenham have conceded loads of goals in the Premier League, their defensive work in Europe this season has been near perfect.
In the fifteen games played by Spurs in the Europa League this campaign, the north London club conceded just thirteen goals, averaging 0.9 each game, and at the heart of each of those performances was Vicario.