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5 hours ago
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When Antonin Kinsky had his Madrid episode, there was an assumption that he would not play again for Tottenham this season. And maybe not the next one, either. The 23-year-old goalkeeper would have to rebuild himself elsewhere, probably on loan. Perhaps, given the scale of the horror against Atlético in the Champions League last 16 first leg on 10 March – and there really is no need to rake over the details – a permanent transfer may have been an option.
Kinsky’s comeback has been extraordinary; an inspiration to everybody at the club. With the first-choice selection, Guglielmo Vicario, undergoing hernia surgery towards the end of March, Roberto De Zerbi has counted on the Czech in each of his four matches in charge. The manager has not been let down.
Kinsky’s standout moment was the diving save to keep out João Gomes’s stoppage-time free-kick for Wolves and preserve a 1-0 win and there has been an assurance about his work which has extended to his aptitude with the ball at his feet. There is a reason why De Zerbi called him “an example” in the buildup to Monday night’s home game against Leeds when, with Vicario still unavailable, Kinsky will keep his place.
“What he felt after Madrid, for sure, was a big, big motivation for him,” De Zerbi said. “If you have pride, if you have dignity, if you have the right spirit, if you have character … he has all these values. He is playing very well. He has to stay focused and not take risks in any situation.”
De Zerbi must remain cautious despite Spurs following up the win at Wolves with the one at Aston Villa last Sunday. It could take a single slip from Kinsky for the narrative around him to shift again. But if he has exorcised demons then Spurs will face the same challenge in their fight for Premier League survival when they step out against Leeds.
Kinsky had one horror game. Spurs’s season has been scarred by them at their stadium. Before the start of this match week, they had the joint-worst home record in the division with Burnley – two wins, five draws, 10 defeats. By contrast, Spurs entered the weekend with the third-best away record.
De Zerbi cannot make sense of it. He tried to dismiss it as a coincidence, saying Spurs beat Borussia Dortmund at home in the Champions League in January and Atlético there in the second leg of the knockout tie, although it was not enough to avoid an aggregate defeat. There is plainly more to it than that.
De Zerbi’s sample size at the stadium is small – two matches as the visiting Brighton manager; one since he took over at Spurs, coincidentally against Brighton. He lost both in opposition 2-1, Spurs scoring late goals each time. And he was winning by the same scoreline last month until Georginio Rutter’s stoppage-time equaliser for Brighton.
De Zerbi’s attitude is to pretend that the Rutter sucker-punch did not happen. Focus only on the positives; it has been his mantra since he came to the club and it is not going to change now.
“If you ask me, against Brighton, we won,” he said. “We didn’t take three points, we took one point, but in my head, we won. As a performance … if we analyse the game against Brighton, it’s like a win.
“It’s not my problem now [to reflect on the home form in the league]. I don’t want to lose energy doing that. We have to be good and smart, to keep this mentality, to keep this momentum, with the same qualities we showed in this last period.”
De Zerbi was asked whether the stadium was too nice, too inspiring for opposing players. “No,” he replied. “Because there are a lot of big, very nice stadiums like theatres in the Premier League. Tottenham’s stadium is hot [in terms of atmosphere]. When I was here with Brighton and last month against Brighton, the stadium was very, very hot. We are lucky to play in this stadium. It is a pleasure.”
Vicario has not returned to full training, according to De Zerbi, despite the manager suggesting on more than one occasion of late that he was poised to do so. The situation is coloured by Inter’s interest, with De Zerbi unable to say whether Vicario would remain at Spurs. De Zerbi has been categoric about wanting the on-loan midfielder João Palhinha to stay. He was more vague over Vicario.
“I don’t know,” De Zerbi said. “If you ask me if I’ve any ideas about next season, my answer is no. For two reasons. One, I have no time to think about next season. And two, after two wins, if I lose time thinking about next season’s squad I am being arrogant. You think after two wins you already consider yourself safe? No.
“Vicario is still the first goalkeeper of Tottenham. Because what Vicario showed this season is enough to consider him a top player for us. But we have to consider the physical condition, how many games he missed.”
De Zerbi had an update on Dejan Kulusevski, who has been out all season with a knee injury, and it was not positive. The midfielder has been working abroad to recover his fitness and De Zerbi suggested he may be able to be around the squad for the final game against Everton to boost morale. But nothing more. As such, De Zerbi suggested Kulusevski’s dream of the World Cup with Sweden must be over.
“It’s difficult to understand how he can play at the World Cup if he didn’t play any games this season,” De Zerbi said. “I texted him after Birmingham [the Villa match]. He told me in the next week, he comes back [to England]. I hope he can be available to stay with us in the last game because he is an amazing player.”
