Antonin Kinsky has spoken about the specific demands of training and playing as a goalkeeper for Roberto De Zerbi’s Tottenham Hotspur.
One can argue that more than any other coach in world football, one of the central pillars of De Zerbi’s side is the importance of building out from the back.
That not only requires centre-backs like Jan Paul van Hecke, who is world-class at playing line-breaking passes, but also requires a goalkeeper who is extremely comfortable with the ball at his feet.
Kinsky has proven to be just that for Spurs, showing why the Italian was willing to back him fully and make him the club’s number one rather than signing a replacement for Guglielmo Vicario in the summer.
Antonin Kinsky admits Tottenham want him to play with the mindset of a midfielder
Kinsky has impressed with his decision-making on the ball this season, with the goalkeeper knowing when to put his foot on the ball to invite the press, when to play it short to his centre-backs and when to go long to Mohammed Kudus or Dominic Solanke.
The goalkeeper has confessed that De Zerbi’s style suits his game perfectly, and explained that while the Tottenham boss wants him to be brave, he will not forgive him for forcing a play that was not needed.
Kinsky told the Livesport Daily podcast: “A few times in training, they’ve told me I’m not a goalkeeper but a midfielder. I like it; I enjoy that style, and it suits me. I enjoy it because not every club plays that way, and elsewhere the goalkeeper doesn’t get as much of the ball.
MORE SPURS STORIES
“But the coach wouldn’t forgive me if I tried to create something that wasn’t needed or wasn’t the point at that moment. If a pass or touch doesn’t come off but the decision to play that way was the right one, that happens to everyone at every level.
“But I have to remember that I’m a goalkeeper. I’m not there to see whether some risky pass will come off, but to make sure the build-up play works perfectly.”
Kinsky admits he trained as an outfield player
It is certainly not accidental that the young Czech goalkeeper is so skilled with the ball at his feet, revealing that he trained as an outfield player from a young age.
Kinsky shared that his dad, who himself was a professional goalkeeper who represented his country, trained him specifically in the Spanish way, to be technically sound and quick with his feet.
The Spurs star added: “When I was younger, we did some height projections, and they put me at around 190 centimetres. So my dad and I trained in a way that suited the Spanish style more, built around speed, footwork, movement and agility.
“My dad guided me in that, even though I never had a Spanish coach — unless you count my dad in a Spanish disguise. Now I have goalkeeper coach Ruben Martínez with the national team, and I have to say I really enjoy those sessions because they match exactly what I was taught from an early age.”