Guglielmo Vicario's Gratitude for De Zerbi's Impact at Tottenham
Guglielmo Vicario did not play a minute of Tottenham’s survival run‑in, but on the final day he moved quicker than anyone in a white shirt.
Hernia scar tugging, tracksuit top flapping, he sprinted towards Roberto De Zerbi when Joao Palhinha’s goal against Everton hit the net. Then he almost put his manager in a headlock. It was part celebration, part release. Above all, it was gratitude.
Because in Vicario’s eyes, the story of Tottenham staying in the Premier League has one central author.
“He gave us a lot of confidence,” the 29-year-old said. “Without him this result would not have been possible.”
From freefall to belief
A month ago, Vicario was a spectator. Surgery had ruled him out, leaving him powerless as Spurs lurched towards the trapdoor. The mood around the club was sour, the football flat, the belief draining away.
“This club deserves at least to stay in the Premier League,” he said. “Sometimes there are situations that happen that are not in your control. You lose the focus, you lose hope, you lose a lot of stuff.”
Tottenham were living that sentence. The slide was real, the anxiety heavy. Then De Zerbi walked in and ripped up the script.
The Italian took 11 points from the final six matches, dragged a fragile dressing room back to life and, in Vicario’s words, “changed everything” – not just the tactics board.
“He gave us a lot of confidence, good vibes, good feelings and we got the result,” the goalkeeper explained. “It was not only about patterns or football. It was about getting everyone around the environment very focused and to play for this badge.”
The first message was simple: reconnect.
“Get behind the people to try to follow us and to stay close to us in these tough moments,” Vicario recalled. The fans did exactly that. On the decisive day, the noise matched the stakes.
“The response from the crowd was unbelievable. We felt it. We went through this tough period and we got the result, that is the most important thing. From next season there will be a different Tottenham Hotspur for sure.”
De Zerbi’s fingerprints
De Zerbi’s reputation was built on attacking patterns and brave possession football. Tottenham needed that. They also needed something more basic: organisation, resilience, a defensive structure that did not crumble at the first sign of pressure.
He delivered both.
“Roberto has been massively important for us. He changed all the mood, all the vibes, all the football as well, because we were struggling to play good football,” Vicario said.
“But he is probably known very well for the football he wants to play, and also the defensive phase since he came in has been unbelievably good.”
The Everton match became his exhibit A.
“We conceded just one shot where Toni did this big save at the end of the match but for 95 minutes we didn't concede any shots. Both on the ball and off the ball I think he did an unbelievable job.”
The players bought in. Even those out of the team.
“Everyone who was playing or not playing followed him in a great way,” Vicario said. “That is of course the credit he deserves.”
Kinsky’s redemption arc
No one symbolises the De Zerbi bounce quite like Antonin Kinsky.
The 23-year-old Czech had been scarred by that night in Madrid, hooked after just 17 minutes against Atletico by interim boss Igor Tudor. It looked like the sort of ordeal that can stain a young goalkeeper’s career.
Then Vicario went under the knife. Tottenham needed a keeper. Kinsky stepped in and started rewriting his story.
He produced a series of outstanding displays against Wolves, Leeds and Everton, making the kind of saves that keep clubs up and careers moving forward.
“He has been incredible, impressive, he did unbelievably well,” Vicario said. “In every game it was not easy. Now it’s easy to say but I was sure of his mental strength and ability.”
De Zerbi wanted to know what he was dealing with when he arrived. So he went straight to the senior goalkeeper.
“When I spoke to Roberto the first day he signed he asked me how Toni was and I said, ‘I think he is fully recovered from what happened because in football it can happen,’ and he showed it.”
For Vicario, Kinsky’s response under pressure was as important as the technique.
“That's the biggest strength he can put on the pitch. I’m very proud of him, he made some really important saves to keep us in the league and he deserved his moment. Sometimes football is downs, I think he had the brilliance to show his ups. Especially in the last two, three games. He did unbelievably for us.”
A keeper on the mend, a club on the turn
Vicario himself is still not “100 per cent fit but in a better place”. Linked with a summer move back to Italy and Inter Milan, he insists his focus is on recovering fully and returning ready for what comes next under De Zerbi.
“I am confident and I have a break now to be ready for next season,” he said. The excitement is shared.
“Yeah of course we are [excited],” he added. “Roberto has been massively important for us. He changed everything.”
The gratitude runs deep.
“I can say without him this result would not have been possible. I want to thank him from the bottom of my heart because we were suffering a lot and he gave us a lot of joy in every aspect.”
Tottenham have escaped. The mood has flipped. The football, at last, has a direction.
The question now is not whether they stay up, but how far this version of Spurs can go with De Zerbi in charge from day one.
