Italian media have now been sharing their verdicts on Tottenham Hotspur’s Guglielmo Vicario after he made his international debut yesterday.
Vicario has been in the Italy squad on a number of occasions now, but has understandably been stuck behind Paris Saint-Germain’s Gianluigi Donnarumma.
The 25-year-old is showing no signs of losing his spot, meaning Vicario will have to be patient for his chances.
But one did come last night for the Tottenham man against Ecuador in a friendly, when Vicario played 90 minutes in a 2-0 win in the United States.
Both Italy and Vicario will have been delighted to keep a clean sheet against Ecuador, who are certainly not easy opposition.
However, it didn’t seem that Italian media outlets were unanimously impressed with Vicario following his debut.
Despite enjoying a fairly quiet night between the sticks, The Cult of Calcio for example thought Vicario looked ‘clumsy’ with the ball at his feet.
They stated: “Except for one shot in the second half, the Spurs goalkeeper didn’t have an awful lot to do between the sticks.
“Though he looked clumsy at times when receiving backpasses” – but it certainly wasn’t all doom and gloom.
Italian media deliver mixed reviews on Tottenham’s Guglielmo Vicario after debut
Sky Italia were a little more complimentary, mentioning that Vicario didn’t mess around with the ball at his feet, and had little to do otherwise.
They said: “Concentrated and lively, he gets rid of the ball quickly. He is not stupid, nor does he want to seem so.
“He doesn’t even have a way to look like it with his hands, because the Ecuadorians find it difficult. But he is there.”
Given the two reviews seem to differ on Vicario’s passing with the ball at his feet, it may just be a matter of perception.
Some will say that the Tottenham goalkeeper avoided a mistake by dispatching the ball quickly, and others might feel didn’t quite show the necessary composure.
How did Guglielmo Vicario’s passing differ for Italy?
According to Sofascore Vicario played 35 passes with a 83% accuracy, attempting eight long balls.
And when compared with Spurs’ last game against Fulham, which admittedly wasn’t a strong one, Vicario did still manage a 92% passing accuracy, attempting just five long balls.
So whilst it’s a small sample size, it does seem that Vicario was a lot quicker to ‘get rid’ of the ball for Italy, perhaps feeling a bit more pressure on his debut.
But either way, as Italian media will see with time after Vicario’s debut, the Tottenham keeper will provide brilliant backup for his country.
And judging by his trajectory under Ange Postecoglou in north London right now, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he was pushing Donnarumma in the years to come.
All that being said, Micah Richards has now been amazed by a player linked with a Tottenham move
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