Spurs boss given plenty of food for thought as critical season finale and summer looms
Sam Tabuteau
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Your matchday briefing on Tottenham, featuring team news and expert analysis from Sam Tabuteau
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When Tottenham announced that Guglielmo Vicario would undergo hernia surgery over the March international break, they said that it had been timed to minimise the number of games the Italian goalkeeper would miss.
In a season blighted by injuries, such an admission felt like an attempt to reassure supporters that Spurs’ first-choice ‘keeper would not be out for a prolonged period.
Five games on and Vicario appears no closer to a return to fitness, yet there are few concerns about when or, in fact, if he will play again before the end of the season.
Such has been the form of deputy Antonin Kinsky, Vicario’s absence has not been as sorely felt.
Against Leeds on Monday night, Kinsky pulled off a miraculous save to deny Sean Longstaff what would have undoubtedly been the winning goal deep into added time at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
It was a stop that provided a timely reminder of the 23-year-old’s ability and continued to banish the demons of his nightmare performance against Atletico Madrid two months prior.
Kinsky was substituted just 17 minutes into his Champions League debut after two mistakes with the ball at his feet saw Spurs 3-0 down inside the first quarter of an hour at the Metropolitano Stadium.
At the time, former Manchester United goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel said the decision to withdraw Kinsky so early had “killed his career” as he criticised the actions of Spurs’ then interim head coach, Igor Tudor.
However, after some time out of the side, Kinsky has returned to play a pivotal role for Spurs, who, despite the disappointment of their 1-1 draw with Leeds, are on a four-game unbeaten run.
In an interview with Tottenham’s matchday programme ahead of the Leeds game, Kinsky said he was confused and angry after his performance in Madrid.
Night to forget: Guglielmo Vicario replaced Antonin Kinsky after only 17 minutes with Tottenham 3-0 down against Atletico Madrid
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He was determined to identify where he went wrong on the night and meticulously analysed his performance and pre-match warm-up.
The conclusion Kinsky came to, however, was that nothing drastic needed to change.
“You can have a feeling, but sometimes it is also good to watch everything back, or ask someone that you trust to see if they share the same opinion as you, as a learning point,” he said.
Kinsky is from a family with a strong goalkeeping background - his father and grandfather both played the position. So, the Czech international was able to lean on his support network to cut through the emotion of that night in Madrid.
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“That gave me the confidence and the calmness not to change too many things and just to keep going and get ready for my next moment,” he said.
Spurs have improved drastically in defence since Roberto De Zerbi took over, conceding five goals in their last five games. They had conceded 14 goals in the five games prior to De Zerbi taking the reins.
Kinsky has been a huge part of that, working extensively with goalkeeping coaches Fabian Otte and Dean Brill. The trio will sometimes spend up to 40 minutes post-match practising kicking.
Where Vicario leans on his agility and reflexes, Kinsky draws on his strength and power and is often in the gym at Tottenham’s Hotspur Way training ground.
De Zerbi has admitted that he does not know whether Vicario, who has been heavily linked with a return to Italy, will stay at Spurs next season, which means there could be a vacancy for the No1 spot.
Kinsky has proven he can withstand the pressure of being Spurs’ first-choice goalkeeper, and he has given De Zerbi plenty to ponder heading into what will be a busy summer in north London.
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