Tottenham Hotspur’s challenging start to the Premier League season worsened with a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the North London derby.
With Spurs collecting just four points from their opening four matches, several players have faced criticism, including goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville singled out Vicario, attributing part of the blame for the decisive goal to the Italian shot-stopper. Arsenal’s Gabriel Magalhaes netted the only goal, heading in from a Bukayo Saka corner.
Neville argued that Vicario should have been more decisive in dealing with the set-piece, suggesting the goalkeeper was not assertive enough.
The former Manchester United defender pointed out that while the keeper appeared to be blocked, a more dominant presence in goal would have been able to either punch or catch the ball and avert the danger.
He also criticised Vicario’s positioning, claiming he was too deep on his line, which limited his ability to come off his line and take control of the situation.
Neville further emphasised the need for a calm, commanding goalkeeper, raising concerns about Vicario’s tendency to seem frantic and emotional during critical moments.
Speaking in a post-match interview for Sky Sports, the pundit stated:
“One thing they [Tottenham] do have to answer is the fact that they have a poor set piece record.
“I will go hard on the goalkeeper in the sense of I played with dominant goalkeepers and I played with not so dominant goalkeepers.
“It’s an absolute breath of fresh air and a must for me to have a goalkeeper – that’s brave. Now I thought he [Vicario] actually started deeper on the line and actually, when I watched the replay in commentary, he [Vicario] was a yard or so off his line.
“I’m not having this idea that keepers get blocked. The great goalkeepers, the best goalkeepers, if they get blocked, it’s a foul. If they get blocked coming out, they normally get, know whistle will go.
“He has to come out there for me and punch that. He has to help Romero. That’s an expectation of me as a defender that my goalkeeper has to come out and catch it or punch it. I don’t care how it’s being played in, your starting position should be one or two yards out.
“You should be just able to step, jump and catch or punch and the idea that he gets involved all the time.
“You don’t want an emotional goalkeeper, in my opinion, you don’t. You want calmness, it’s a rock. It’s your last line of defence.
“For me, I don’t want them shouting and putting their arms everywhere and being frantic and being anxious because I think it creates anxiety in the crowd. I think it creates anxiety in the defenders.”
Despite these criticisms, Vicario has shown promise since joining Tottenham in June 2023. The 27-year-old quickly established himself as the club’s first-choice goalkeeper and earned praise for his early performances. He even won the prestigious Goalkeeper of the Year award at the London Football Awards.
Moving forward, Vicario will need to address these concerns as Spurs aim to strengthen their defence and improve results in the Premier League.
