BBC pundit not impressed with £17m Tottenham player vs Brentford

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BBC Sport pundit Clinton Morrison wasn’t impressed with Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario against Brentford.

Covering Tottenham’s opening Premier League match for BBC 5 Live, all eyes were on Ange Postecoglou’s side.

It’s been a big summer of change in North London with the Australian coach overseeing incomings and outgoings from his squad.

The biggest talking is the loss of Harry Kane, who made his Bayern Munich debut yesterday.

However, Spurs have also made some important additions since the end of the last campaign.

James Maddison already looks like a very astute signing.

He assisted both of Tottenham’s first-half goals and looked like a leader on the pitch.

Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
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BBC pundit not impressed with £17m Tottenham player vs Brentford

Ben Evans
Sun 13 August 2023 17:45, UK
BBC Sport pundit Clinton Morrison wasn’t impressed with Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario against Brentford.

Covering Tottenham’s opening Premier League match for BBC 5 Live, all eyes were on Ange Postecoglou’s side.

It’s been a big summer of change in North London with the Australian coach overseeing incomings and outgoings from his squad.

The biggest talking is the loss of Harry Kane, who made his Bayern Munich debut yesterday.

However, Spurs have also made some important additions since the end of the last campaign.

James Maddison already looks like a very astute signing.

Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images
He assisted both of Tottenham’s first-half goals and looked like a leader on the pitch.

There were also starts for Micky Van de Ven and Destiny Udogie who were both making their competitive debuts for Spurs.

However, Morrison wasn’t so sure about new Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario in the opening minutes of the match.

The £17m Italian has a big job on his hands to step up as the successor of Hugo Lloris after his decade of service to the club.

Morrison unsure of Tottenham goalkeeper Vicario
Speaking on BBC 5 Live, Morrison said: “It’s standard now that sides want to play out from the back, and Spurs look like they are going to go with that approach.

“[Guglielmo] Vicario needs to be better with his feet, good closing down from Wissa for Brentford.”

Ange Postecoglou has already put his mark on Tottenham’s style of play, switching their formation and attacking approach.

Antonio Conte’s passive approach to matches wasn’t the easiest on the eye and relied heavily on Kane bailing them out in games where they couldn’t break the opposition down.

Postecoglou appears to be putting more emphasis on moving the ball quickly up the pitch and using Maddison as his main creative outlet.

Guglielmo Vicario’s role in this system is to be an option for his defenders in possession and pick the right pass out under pressure.

Morrison noted that Vicario nearly got caught on several occasions while trying to start Tottenham’s attacks.

It’s not an easy skill but would have been one that Spurs identified that he had before signing him.

There was nothing he could do about Brentford’s goals which ultimately is his most important role in the team.

Harry Kane sends message to Tottenham chief Daniel Levy after “exhausting” transfer
Harry Kane was unveiled as a Bayern Munich player on Sunday and spoke about Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy, who reluctantly brokered his £100million transfer to the German giants

Harry Kane has wished Daniel Levy “all the best” after completing what was described as an “exhausting” transfer to Bayern Munich.

The England captain completed his transfer to the German giants on Saturday in a deal which could be worth in excess of £100million, having signed a four-year contract that runs until 2027. Tottenham chairman Levy did his best to keep Kane, 30, at Spurs for at least one more season but couldn’t stop the striker from departing, unlike in 2021.

Two years ago, Levy refused to sell Kane to Manchester City and the high-profile episode damaged the pair’s relationship. This time around, the Tottenham chief was forced to broker a deal with Bayern, not willing to sell Kane to a Premier League rival such as Manchester United or risk losing him for free when his contract was due to expire next summer.

“It was a busy couple of days, a busy week,” the 30-year-old explained during his unveiling press conference on Sunday, taking the famous No.9 shirt. “This is my first transfer; it was an up and down experience for sure but I’m happy to be here now. I wish Tottenham all the best, Daniel Levy all the best, but my focus is here now and trying to help this team.”

Sitting alongside Kane was Bayern CEO Jan-Christian Dreesen, who admitted: “It was exhausting negotiations. Daniel Levy is nice, but he also knows what he wants. In the end, both parties had a good feeling.”

The now former Spurs hero made his debut for the Bundesliga champions on Saturday less than 11 hours after his transfer had been announced. Kane hoped to win the first trophy of his career but Bayern were stunned by RB Leipzig 3-0 in their own backyard, with their star signing coming on as a substitute.

Have your say! Was Harry Kane right to leave Tottenham? Join the debate in the comments section.

Kane hopes to have won multiple trophies by the end of the 2023-24 season, including the Champions League. Next year’s final will notably be held at Wembley, where England’s all-time record goalscorer struts his stuff at international level and for a period represented Spurs while their new stadium was under construction.

“It is still quite a way away but for it to be at Wembley is exciting,” Kane added. “I joined this club to have a good chance of winning the Champions League but for it to be at Wembley is amazing. Hopefully we can achieve that.”

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The new top has been claimed to “build on more than a century of tradition” and is a fresh update to the iconic kit that gave Spurs the nickname, the Lilywhites. There’s a subtle but distinct linework pattern running through the new shirt that’s said to have been inspired by “the borough’s vibrant music scene and streetwear culture of the borough of Tottenham”

Liverpool vs. Chelsea: Live Player Ratings for Both Teams

Liverpool and Chelsea battled it out at Anfield in what was as close to a title decider as could be, with the Reds top of the table by five points with just three games remaining before the start of play.

At half-time, the scoreline was 0-1, with the away side ahead right on the stroke of half-time. Demba Ba scored the goal after a slip from Steven Gerrard in his own half of the pitch. Liverpool attacked for the entirety of the second half, but another injury time goal from Willian wrapped up the scoring for a 2-0 Chelsea win.
Liverpool and Chelsea battled it out at Anfield in what was as close to a title decider as could be, with the Reds top of the table by five points with just three games remaining before the start of play.

At half-time, the scoreline was 0-1, with the away side ahead right on the stroke of half-time. Demba Ba scored the goal after a slip from Steven Gerrard in his own half of the pitch. Liverpool attacked for the entirety of the second half, but another injury time goal from Willian wrapped up the scoring for a 2-0 Chelsea win.