Guglielmo Vicario still tops an impressive Premier League goalkeeping stat after Tottenham’s 2-1 victory over Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday, but other Italians in England did not fare quite as well as the former Empoli stopper and his teammate Destiny Udogie.
Vicario ranks as the top goalkeeper in the Premier League for xG conceded minus actual goals conceded per 90 minutes with a rating of +0.28. Put more simply, of the goals Vicario is expected to concede, he manages to keep them out more often than he lets them in.
As explained by former Wycombe and QPR coach Gareth Ainsworth, the aforementioned stat proves that Vicario is denying the best goalscoring chances, rather than simply keeping out relatively simple shots on a regular basis.
With Viacrio in goal and Udogie at left-back, both as first choices, Tottenham sit in the Champions League positions in the Premier League, in fourth place with 47 points from 24 matches. They sit one point clear of Aston Villa in fifth and five above Manchester United in sixth.
Spurs’ win over Roberto De Zerbi’s Brighton means that they have not lost in the Premier League so far in 2024. Their last league defeat, coincidentally, came against De Zerbi’s side away at the Amex Stadium on December 28.
How important has Guglielmo Vicario been for Tottenham this season? 🧤⚪ pic.twitter.com/Gn6FM485vG
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) February 11, 2024
Elsewhere for the Italians in the Premier League this weekend, Arsenal recorded an emphatic 6-0 victory away to West Ham, but Azzurri midfielder Jorginho was left on the bench by Mikel Arteta, despite a man of the match performance in the 3-1 win over Liverpool last weekend.
Emerson was unfortunate enough to be on the pitch in West Ham colours for all six goals, before being subbed off after 74 minutes. Angelo Ogbonna was named as an unused substitute by David Moyes.
Nicolo Zaniolo briefly returned to action for Aston Villa in their 2-1 loss against Manchester United, coming off the bench with three minutes of regular time left on the clock. He had not been in Unai Emery’s squad the previous weekend.
Our final two changes… pic.twitter.com/LmH9JVtN6y
— Aston Villa (@AVFCOfficial) February 11, 2024
Cesare Casadei is expected to be among the substitutes again when Chelsea cross London to face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Monday evening. He made his Premier League debut as a sub in the 4-1 loss against Liverpool two weeks ago, but was not called upon for the 4-2 loss to Wolves last weekend.
Up at Burnley, Luca Koleosho remains out injured, while Newcastle are, of course, still without Sandro Tonali while he completes his season-long ban.