Les Ferdinand was left particularly impressed by one Tottenham Hotspur player against AZ Alkmaar on an otherwise disappointing night for the North Londoners.
Tottenham Hotspur return to North London with the task of having to come from behind in the second leg following a miserable evening at the AFAS Stadion.
The Lilywhites offered very little going forward in the Netherlands as they mustered up just one shot on target against Alkmaar.
However, the former Tottenham striker highlighted one positive from the defeat and claims he once again proved his importance for Ange Postecoglou’s team.
Les Ferdinand hails Guglielmo Vicario’s importance for Tottenham
Les Ferdinand has hailed the performance of Guglielmo Vicario against AZ Alkmaar and claims he proved his importance for Tottenham.
Vicario, who cost Tottenham £17m, made three big saves against the Dutch outfit, including a particularly important one in a one on one versus Troy Parrott.
Ferdinand claims that the Italian’s shot stopping ability places him up there with the best and he proved exactly that against Alkamaar.
Speaking on TNT Sports, Ferdinand said: “We looked at his percentage of when he plays and you can see why Spurs were desperate to get him back – he makes those important saves.
“Not the best at crosses but in terms of shot stopping he’s up there with the best and he showed that tonight.”
Guglielmo Vicario’s impressive stats vs AZ Alkmaar
Tottenham quite easily could have been a few more goals down going into the second leg if it wasn’t for the performance of Vicario.
The 28-year-old managed to prevent 1.14 goals against the Dutch side, which keeps Postecoglou’s side’s hopes alive in the tie.
His ability on the ball is another underrated trait as he had 26 touches and completed 22 passes out of the 21 he attempted.
| Total | |
| Minutes | 90 |
| Saves | 3 |
| xGOT faced | 1.14 |
| Goals prevented | 1.14 |
| Touches | 26 |
| Accurate passes | 21/22 (95%) |
Vicario has been, without doubt, a big miss following his ankle injury and the Australian manager will be delighted to have him back.
