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5 hours ago
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Guglielmo Vicario threw up a one-man defensive wall as Tottenham Hotspur held on for a battling 0-0 UEFA Champions League draw at AS Monaco.
A point on the road stretches Thomas Frank's unbeaten start in the UCL to three games in 2025/26 after an opening win over Villarreal and a 2-2 tie at Bodo/Glimt.
However, despite emerging with a key draw, it was backs-to-the-wall stuff for the majority of the night as Vicario repelled everything the Ligue 1 side threw at him.
The Italy international made eight saves in total - all from inside his penalty box - as he superbly kept USMNT star Folarin Balogun and Ansu Fati at bay.
Frank opted to make tweaks to the defence in front of him, with Archie Gray starting over Djed Spence, and Lucas Bergvall brought into the midfield.
But, Vicario refused to point the finger at some of Spurs' younger players, and insisted there was something else missing from their performance at the Stade Louis II.
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"Sometimes you’re needed and today was definitely the night! It was not the best performance from us, lots to work on and learn from, because the level in the Champions League is very high.
"If you miss some basics, it's hard to compete with a good team.
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"I think everyone who played in the backline is a Champions League player. It’s not about the changes. It's about effort and mentality, awareness of danger you need in some situations. We lacked a little bit of that."
Spurs will have little time to work on Vicario's concerns, due to the rapid turnaround from European to Premier League action, as they head to Everton on October 26.
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