Guglielmo Vicario believes Tottenham showed their true colours as they progressed to the Europa League semi-finals and admitted they had “suffered a lot” during an otherwise disappointing season.
A first clean sheet since the 16 February 1-0 win against Manchester United, who Spurs could meet in next month’s final if they beat Athletic Bilbao, helped overcome Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1 on aggregate thanks to Dominic Solanke’s penalty. Ange Postecoglou’s side face the Norwegian side Bodø/Glimt as Spurs attempt to make up for an underwhelming Premier League campaign by claiming their first trophy since 2008.
Vicario made several crucial late saves in Germany and the Italian goalkeeper is convinced their performance in a frenzied atmosphere was a truer indication of their quality than they have frequently showed in the league this season.
“We know what we are capable of when we are really tuned in, when we work hard as a team like we showed [against Eintracht],” he said. “The achievement in both legs has been very, very deserved from what we showed at our home ground and in the second leg with the resilience, the desire to fight. We got the job done and it’s a fully deserved semi-final of a big European competition.”
Tottenham start the weekend 15th and face Nottingham Forest on Monday looking to avoid an 18th Premier League defeat after finishing fifth in Postecoglou’s first season. Vicario acknowledged it had been a difficult campaign but said they were delighted to deliver a crucial victory for their manager.
“Of course we are because everyone suffered a lot this season,” he said. “It’s been a very tough one but now we are still alive and we want to fight for something special. It’s an important achievement. The job is not done but it’s a big win for Tottenham Hotspur, for everyone, for the boss, for us players, for the staff, for the fans. So we are very proud of what we showed.”
