'He’s been found out'- Thomas Frank urged to drop Tottenham Hotspur star

TalkSPORT pundit urges Thomas Frank to drop Guglielmo Vicario from his XI

Following Tottenham’s poor run of results of late, talkSPORT pundit Darren Ambrose has highlighted one senior player who has started to become a liability. He is concerned that teams are starting to target Guglielmo Vicario, as his shortcomings from set-plays have already been “found out”.

Defending set-pieces and crosses were the north Londoners’ Achilles heel last season, and Vicario persistently was targeted by opposition players. They use to make a nuisance of themselves in the box and distract the Spurs No.1 from set-plays, which led to the Europa League winners concede several goals. And now Darren Ambrose has issued a warning to Frank to consider dropping Vicario from his first XI.

“Obviously I didn’t play in defence, but I know, I’ve been in changing rooms, I know what gets spoken about,” Ambrose said on talkSPORT’s Inside Spurs.

“He’s been found out in terms of his crossing, his dictating abilities, in terms of the set plays. I was a set play taker when I played, and I know my management team would have said, ‘Put it right on him.’”

Vicario must improve his decision making in goal

Vicario made a blunder in Tottenham’s 2-2 draw with Brighton and Hove Albion last month, failing to get a strong hand to prevent Yasin Ayari’s swerving strike from finding the back of the net. The 28-year-old was also at fault in his 1-1 draw with Wolves last weekend, parrying an effort straight against Joao Palhinha following a corner, which allowed defender Santiago Bueno to poke home from close range.

Ex-Spurs scout Bryan King thinks the Italian shot-stopper has enough credit in his bank and remains the best option to continue as the club’s No.1. Indeed, Vicario has been named in the new five-man leadership group at White Hart Lane, reinforcing his spot in Frank’s first XI. However, the glovesman will be in risk of losing his place in the team if he continues to make mistakes.

Vicario’s issues with claiming crosses and commanding the box are nothing new- he struggled with it last season and has failed to address it for the new campaign. If the ex-Empoli star intends to be a regular starter under Frank, he has to significantly improve in certain facets of his game.