'There's a weakness': Shay Given claims £17m Tottenham player is just too 'hot-headed'
09/17/2024 03:35 AM
Tottenham Hotspur’s misery at the start of the new Premier League season was compounded as they fell to a 1-0 defeat to Arsenal in the North London derby.
Ange Postecoglou’s side have racked up just four points from as many games and haven’t looked convincing in the final third as a depleted Arsenal squad got all three points without breaking a sweat.
A handful of big Tottenham players are yet to fire this season and one of them is Guglielmo Vicario, who hasn’t been anywhere close to his best in recent weeks.
Alan Pardew highlighted Vicario’s weakness with set-pieces after the defeat to Arsenal, with the Tottenham goalkeeper not instilling his backline with too much confidence while claiming crosses.
And now, Shay Given has highlighted another issue with the £17m man’s gameplay after his underwhelming start to the new campaign.
Shay Given disappointed with Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario’s temperament
Speaking after Tottenham’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal, the former Premier League goalkeeper suggested Vicario needs to be a bit calmer at the back for Tottenham.
The Italian was involved in an angry confrontation with Jurrien Timber during the first half as both sets of players intervened to separate the pair.
Vicario was booked for his antics and Given believes it was an incident that could’ve easily been avoided.
"I am trying to stick up for Vicario as best I can as an ex-goalkeeper, but what I am trying to say is that there's a weakness there,” Given said on BBC Radio 5 Live (7:14 pm, Sept 16).
“I think he is a bit hot-headed at times. He gets involved in stuff I don't think he should get involved in."
Vicario needs to turn it around soon
Given and Pardew aren’t the only ones to have expressed concerns over the Italian goalkeeper.
Glenn Hoddle feels claiming corners has been a bit of an Achilles' Heel for Vicario as he was rooted to his spot for Gabriel Magalhaes’ winner in the derby.
The 27-year-old is clearly a good goalkeeper as he showed in his debut season for the club, but his issue with set-pieces is starting to emerge as a problem for Tottenham.
Fraser Forster is Spurs’ second-choice goalkeeper and with the 36-year-old in the twilight years of his career, Postecoglou has no choice but to back Vicario.
That said, the Italian needs to address his set-piece frailties at the earliest as his vulnerability in this regard is starting to become a bit of a norm.
Vicario’s temperament, as Given rightly pointed out, is another issue that needs fixing if he is to establish himself as Spurs’ number one for the present and the future.
