Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario has rallied the troops ahead of a daunting UEFA Super Cup clash against Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday night.
Tottenham booked their spot in Italy after ending their 17-year trophy drought with a 1-0 win over Manchester United in the Europa League final.
However, their hard-fought contest against United pales in comparison to their upcoming test, with Luis Enrique’s all-conquering French champions eyeing another trophy after a treble-winning campaign.
Vicario is under no illusion about the uphill task Tottenham face, especially after their woeful performance in the Premier League last season.
Spurs have had a decent pre-season but a 4-0 drubbing against Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich exposed some of the vulnerabilities in Thomas Frank’s squad.
The Danish manager has already turned in his 22-man squad for the Super Cup clash and Vicario, who is expected to start in goal, is optimistic about Tottenham’s chances.
“We need to improve our league position,” he told The Athletic. “Last year wasn’t good enough. We will try in five competitions starting on August 13.
“We have an opportunity to win another trophy. We know it will be hard, playing against probably the best team in the world at the moment, but we want to be successful.”
Vicario backs Frank to succeed as Spurs manager
Vicario has also been impressed by new head coach Frank, who couldn’t have been handed a tougher test for his first competitive game in the Spurs dugout.
The 28-year-old keeper heaped praise on the Danish tactician and called on his teammates to be “focused” and “tuned in” as the club enters a new era.
“He [Frank] is focused and clear on what the team has to deliver on the pitch, both attacking and defending,” Vicario said.
“Now we are on the way. It’s on us how we can be focused and tuned in to his instructions. If we do it 100 per cent every game, even when the toughest period of the year will come, we will get a lot of joy.”
Tottenham have only added two new players to the team that finished 17th in the table last season, bringing in Mohammed Kudus and Joao Palhinha.
However, they’ll need significantly more firepower, especially after losing club legend Heung-min Son to Los Angeles FC in a £20 million deal.