When Tottenham announced that Guglielmo Vicario would undergo hernia surgery over the March international break, they said it had been timed to minimise the number of games the Italian goalkeeper would miss. Five games on, Vicario appears no closer to a return, yet there are few concerns about when or if he will play again before the end of the season, such has been the form of deputy Antonin Kinsky.
Against Leeds on Monday night, Kinsky pulled off a miraculous save to deny Sean Longstaff what would have 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, when he was substituted just 17 minutes into his Champions League debut after two mistakes with the ball at his feet.
Kinsky said he was confused and angry after his performance in Madrid, but after meticulous analysis, he concluded 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, from a family with a strong goalkeeping background, leaned on his support network to cut through the emotion of that night.
Spurs have improved drastically in defence since Roberto De Zerbi took over, conceding five goals in their last five games compared to 14 in the five prior. Kinsky has been a huge part of that, working extensively with goalkeeping coaches Fabian Otte and Dean Brill. De Zerbi has admitted he does not know whether Vicario, heavily linked with a return to Italy, will stay next season, meaning there could be a vacancy for the No1 spot. Kinsky has proven he can withstand the pressure and has given De Zerbi plenty to ponder heading into a busy summer.
