Micah Richards tells Tottenham to defend set-pieces better
Tottenham, among the top five Premier League clubs this season, have conceded the second most goals. Only two less than the 46 goals Aston Villa have seen go against them, a major chunk of that has to come down to the Lilywhites’ defending of set-pieces.
A whopping 23%, [that is 10 goals] of the 44 Tottenham have conceded this season have come from set-pieces. [WhoScored] Guglielmo Vicario, for all he might be an excellent shot-stopper, but when it comes to corner kicks, he is often caught in two minds, which results in dangerous situations for Ange Postecoglou’s men.
Speaking about the same on BBC’s Match of the Day programme, former Manchester City right-back Micah Richards touched down on how important it is for Spurs to defend these situations better going forward. Even in our recent 1-1 draw against West Ham United, Kurt Zouma leapt almost as high as The Shard to head home the equaliser, which eventually denied Spurs three points despite playing way better than David Moyes’ men.
Here is what Richards had to say on Tottenham’s set-piece defending via Football London:
“I want to talk about Vicario and how outstanding he’s been this season, especially with his feet and his shot stopping, but I think teams have just spotted a weakness from corners and especially inswingers.”
“Last night was Zouma, you’ve got eight players within the box, Bissouma is trying to block him, get Antonio away, but then leaves Zouma free with one of the best leaps in the Premier League. I just think it’s a chink in their armour. For all the great work that they do, they really need to polish up on them corners. I think it’s four of the last 11 they’ve conceded from corners.”
Defend better!
Even with his commendable performances in other aspects of goalkeeping, Vicario’s struggles in dealing with set pieces have become a recurring concern for the Lilywhites.
Despite Tottenham’s noteworthy performances and Vicario’s individual brilliance, their struggles in defending set-pieces remain a pressing concern for manager Ange Postecoglou and his coaching staff. Richards’ assessment underscores the urgency for Spurs to rectify this aspect of their game to maintain their competitiveness in the Premier League.
The bottom line is, that Tottenham surely have to put in efforts behind the scenes at Hotspur Way to ensure that we can negate the threat of goals conceded from set-pieces. Vicario is the guilty party more often than not, and it is surely not something Spurs cannot work on.
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- James Maddison tells Tottenham to ‘refocus’ on Nottingham Forest clash after disappointing draw
- Harry Kane congratulates former team-mate Son Heung-min after 400 appearances for Tottenham
- Tottenham star Brennan Johnson responds hilariously to Destiny Udogie Instagram post
As Tottenham continue their campaign, addressing their defensive vulnerabilities will undoubtedly be a key focus for manager Ange Postecoglou and his coaching staff.
