Tottenham Hotspur have endured another defeat as their start to the Premier League season worsens with an injury-laden Arsenal taking all three points of White Hart Lane in yesterday’s North London derby. This means that Ange Postecoglou’s Lilywhites have only scored four points in the first four gameweeks of the 2024/25 Premier League campaign.

Several players have been at the far end and have been criticised for putting in a below-par performance, including goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.

Neville blasts Vicario for costly derby blunder

Former Manchester United defender turned pundit Gary Neville has singled out the Spurs goalkeeper, Guglielmo Vicario, insisting that the Italian international has to take blame for not stopping the decisive goal. The only goal in the game was scored by Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes, who headed Bukayo Saka’s corner to give Arsenal the lead and eventually all three points.

Neville suggests that Vicario should have been more decisive in dealing with that corner, while he suggests that the shotstopper wasn’t domineering enough. He points out that the 27-year-old had been blocks, and a more dominant figure would either punch or catch that ball.

Moreover, Neville went on to scrutinise Vicario’s positioning. He showed how the keeper was too deep inside when the corner curled in by Bukayo Saka.

Neville calls out Vicario

Speaking in the post-match airing for Sky Sports, Neville said: 

“One thing they [Tottenham] do have to answer is the fact that they have a poor set piece record.

“I will go hard on the goalkeeper in the sense of I played with dominant goalkeepers and I played with not so dominant goalkeepers.

-> Tottenham Hotspur confirmed signings, transfers in, out, loan exits, releases for 2024/25

“It’s an absolute breath of fresh air and a must for me to have a goalkeeper – that’s brave. Now I thought he [Vicario] actually started deeper on the line and actually, when I watched the replay in commentary, he [Vicario] was a yard or so off his line.

“I’m not having this idea that keepers get blocked. The great goalkeepers, the best goalkeepers, if they get blocked, it’s a foul. If they get blocked coming out, they normally get, know whistle will go.

“He has to come out there for me and punch that. He has to help Romero. That’s an expectation of me as a defender that my goalkeeper has to come out and catch it or punch it. I don’t care how it’s being played in, your starting position should be one or two yards out.

-> Tottenham’s 5 best PL opening day wins

“You should be just able to step, jump and catch or punch and the idea that he gets involved all the time.

“You don’t want an emotional goalkeeper, in my opinion, you don’t. You want calmness, it’s a rock. It’s your last line of defence.

“For me, I don’t want them shouting and putting their arms everywhere and being frantic and being anxious because I think it creates anxiety in the crowd. I think it creates anxiety in the defenders.”

Is Vicario the weak link in Tottenham’s defence?

While the criticisms lay on the shotstopper about yesterday’s derby goal, we have seen Viacrio share similar concerns in the previous campaign as well, especially from the set pieces. While the 27-year-old even won the Goalkeeper of the Year award at the London Football Awards and has been a potent presence in how Spurs build up, he rightly needs to improve on the dead-ball situations. 

Spurs will now face Coventry in the third round of the EFL Cup later this week, and it should give Vicario a time to reflect as Ange might prefer the backup keeper to start the league games.