Tottenham Hotspur hope to exorcise their home demons just as goalkeeper Antonin Kinsky has done following his nightmare against Atletico Madrid. The 23-year-old Czech has begun to rebuild his reputation under manager Roberto De Zerbi, whose positive attitude has helped Spurs in their fight for Premier League survival.
Kinsky's Resurgence
After a poor showing against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League last-16 first leg on 10 March, many assumed Kinsky would not play again for Tottenham this season. However, with first-choice goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario undergoing hernia surgery in late March, De Zerbi has relied on Kinsky in four matches, and the goalkeeper has not let him down.
Kinsky's standout moment came with a diving save to keep out Joao Gomes's stoppage-time free-kick for Wolves, securing a 1-0 win. He has shown assurance with the ball at his feet, prompting De Zerbi to call him "an example" ahead of Monday's home game against Leeds, where Kinsky will keep his place.
"What he felt after Madrid, for sure, was a big, big motivation for him," De Zerbi said. "If you have pride, if you have dignity, if you have the right spirit, if you have character … he has all these values. He is playing very well."
Home Form Woes
De Zerbi remains cautious despite back-to-back wins over Wolves and Aston Villa. Tottenham's season has been scarred by poor home form; before this match week, they had the joint-worst home record in the division with Burnley: two wins, five draws, and 10 defeats. In contrast, they entered the weekend with the third-best away record.
De Zerbi dismissed the home form as a coincidence, noting Spurs beat Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid at home in the Champions League. His own experience at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium includes two losses as Brighton manager and a draw with Brighton after a stoppage-time equaliser.
"If you ask me, against Brighton, we won," De Zerbi said. "We didn't take three points, we took one point, but in my head, we won. As a performance … if we analyse the game against Brighton, it's like a win."
Vicario and Kulusevski Updates
Vicario has not returned to full training, according to De Zerbi, despite earlier suggestions he was close. The situation is complicated by Inter Milan's interest, with De Zerbi unable to confirm whether Vicario will stay. De Zerbi has been clear about wanting on-loan midfielder Joao Palhinha to remain, but was vague on Vicario.
"I don't know," De Zerbi said. "Vicario is still the first goalkeeper of Tottenham. Because what Vicario showed this season is enough to consider him a top player for us. But we have to consider the physical condition, how many games he missed."
Dejan Kulusevski has been out all season with a knee injury and is working abroad to recover. De Zerbi suggested he might be around the squad for the final game against Everton for morale, but nothing more. "It's difficult to understand how he can play at the World Cup if he didn't play any games this season," De Zerbi said.
