Young Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky had one of the worst games a player can have, almost single handedly costing Spurs their Champions League knockout tie against Spanish giants Atletico Madrid.
Kinsky slipped and slid all over the pitch, making a few costly errors to hand goals directly to Atleti before being subbed off before 30 minutes even finished. But the last image of the match was the clumsy Igor Tudor not even acknowledging Kinsky in a shattering moment.
The Czech international was set up to fail. He had not played in months, completley discarded by the buffoonery of failed Spurs hire Thomas Frank. With Guglielmo Vicario playing horrendously and suffering through a hernia, Spurs finally turned to Kinsky, but instead of easing him in, Tudor started him in a big Champions League knockout match against a tough team in a stadium that has been very suspiciously slippery to opposing teams this season.
Roberto De Zerbi is behind Antonin Kinsky
Although Kinsky has not started since, with Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League relegation zone after rivals West Ham United destroyed Wolves 4-0, the young man will be between the sticks on Sunday against overperformers Sunderland as Vicario is not yet recovered from a much needed hernia surgery.
The fans are behind Kinsky and rooting for him to succeed, but there has to be some trepidation in the air after his last outing. But the new manager Roberto De Zerbi had the perfect comforting words for his shot stopper at the press conference before the Sunderland game.
De Zerbi said, via Alasdair Gold of Football.London, "I didn't speak yet with him because I think he doesn't need to speak too much. I have confidence. He has to be strong, but he is strong enough to show what he can do. Not more, not less. I think his qualities are enough to play at Tottenham. The other players believe in him. He has to stay calm and confident. He is playing at Tottenham, so he has to be stronger than the mistakes, and to move on."
That is very beautifully said by De Zerbi. He is attempting to unburden the pressure on Antonin Kinsky, liberating the goalkeeper of a back drop that could doom him to fail again. And the part about RDZ bringing up his teammates believing in him is a wonderful touch, because the unity of being backed and being part of something bigger than himself can carry Kinksy far on Sunday. Spurs need him.