Guglielmo Vicario evaluation: The man tasked with filling the large Hugo Lloris-shaped gap at Tottenham
Usually, when a legend of the membership departs, who has been there for a decade, is a World Cup winner, and the spine of the crew, there's a big gap within the squad. To fill that gap, two choices may be plumped for – Get a equally huge title, and hope the transition goes easily, or go for the unassuming alternative, the place the danger is nice, however the reward is doubtlessly larger. Guglielmo Vicario falls within the latter class for Tottenham as he takes the mantle from Hugo Lloris at Hotspur Approach.
So, what prompted Spurs to splash the money on a GK who was enjoying in Italian Serie B simply 3 years in the past? What are his strengths and weaknesses and is he as much as the duty of changing Lloris? We discover out –
Be aware: All stats courtesy of FBRef
Guglielmo Vicario’s profession retrospective
One factor may be mentioned with absolute certainty – Vicario has paid his dues to succeed in this level. He has made an look in all tiers of Italian soccer – from Serie D to Serie A.
If Maurizio Sarri’s managing profession transferred to a participant, it could seem like Vicario’s enjoying profession.
He was a part of the Venezia squad that gained back-to-back promotions from Serie D to Serie B. After enjoying an important function of their promotion from Serie D, enjoying 36 video games, he was backup for his or her Serie C marketing campaign, making solely two appearances.
His breakout in Serie B got here within the 2018/19 season, the place his 32 appearances have been deemed adequate for an additional Serie B marketing campaign, this time with Perugia.
His path has by no means been easy although. Signed by Cagliari in Serie A attributable to his good performances, he didn’t set up himself and went on mortgage to Empoli the place he has loved his finest work.
Being the undisputed first-choice has empowered him to be at his finest and with 71 appearances in two seasons, he additionally not too long ago earned a call-up to the Italian crew in September 2022.
Therefore, it's clear that Tottenham are signing a seasoned skilled who has floor within the decrease leagues and fought for relevance each step of the way in which. The membership wants extra mentality monsters like that after a dismal final season. He may not have began his profession as a wunderkind as Lloris did, however he brings the identical “never say die” angle.
Enjoying model: Strengths and weaknesses
For all his elite shot-stopping expertise, Hugo Lloris was nonetheless a standard goalkeeper. He did enhance on his ball-playing expertise rather a lot, however he wasn’t elite at it. In actual fact, by the final season, even his shot-stopping expertise had tanked.
The French worldwide conceded 39 targets in 25 appearances final season from a post-shot xG of simply 33.9. Vicario, for comparability, overperformed the identical metric by virtually two targets.
Then it’s the ball-playing expertise that he brings to the desk.
Vicario ranked eighth in Serie A final season when it comes to progressive passing distance, accumulating 16,933 yards in his 31 home league appearances. For a GK who was at all times beneath strain attributable to Empoli’s general high quality, these are outstanding numbers.
He was within the 91st percentile of all GKs within the top-five leagues in touches, getting the ball 44.14 occasions/90. Lloris is within the fifteenth percentile for a similar metric.
Whereas a part of it's right down to Vicario being the busier keeper, it additionally reveals an elevated willingness to be part of the build-up play virtually like one other outfielder.
Vicario is a mixture between a contemporary sweeper keeper and a standard goalkeeper. It signifies that whereas he does have the flexibility to play out from the again and select probing passes, Empoli’s recreation plan didn’t enable for a lot exercise exterior the field as they primarily defended deep.
It may be seen from the truth that he tried 618 lengthy passes final yr, greater than twice Lloris’ variety of 305.
Therefore, his sweeping stats are underwhelming. In Ange Postecoglou’s adventurous tactical set-up at Spurs, one ought to count on these to go up.
Nonetheless, the realm the place Empoli’s plan has allowed Vicario to shine is his shot-stopping expertise. With the fourth-best save proportion in Serie A final season, he was a major cause why Empoli didn’t flirt with relegation.
His save proportion was 73.9%, far exceeding Lloris’ figures of 67.5%. Remarkably, that is regardless of Vicario going through extra pictures than Lloris (134-117).
An space of his recreation which has room for enchancment, and PL groups can be focusing on him, is his means to cease crosses.
Standing at 6’4″, he ought to be making higher use of top to collect aerial balls. He was within the forty second percentile final yr, stopping 5.6% of crosses within the field. Lloris, regardless of going by his worst season, and being two inches shorter, saved 6.2% of crosses tried.
The means to command the field ought to include time as he will get comfy together with his new teammates and environment.
In conclusion, Vicario is a participant with nice pure presents which haven’t but been absolutely explored as a result of high quality of the groups he has performed for.
Aged simply 26, he has the potential to rework into an ideal fashionable goalkeeper, nearly as good together with his toes as he's at retaining the ball out of the aim.
Shot-stopping expertise are a should as a result of Ange Postecoglou’s techniques, that are extraordinarily attacking, are vulnerable to conceding targets attributable to lapses in focus. So, it's a reduction that Vicario already has this half down pat.
With some enhancements in his aerial recreation and command of the field, he may be the cornerstone of the Spurs’ facet for the following decade. Spurs have performed effectively to get him since he was additionally reportedly focused by Inter Milan as a possible alternative for Andre Onana.
If something, that ought to delight the Tottenham followers that he was seen as adequate to exchange probably the greatest ball-playing keepers in world soccer.
Now set for the Premier League, seeing his improvement right into a world-class participant ought to be an attractive thought for the followers.
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