Roberto De Zerbi has revealed that he briefly considered making Antonin Kinsky captain at Tottenham in order to help him recover from his Champions League nightmare.
Back-up goalkeeper Kinsky’s career at Spurs looked to be all but over after a humiliating episode back in March when he was surprisingly selected ahead of usual No1 Guglielmo Vicario by then-interim head coach Igor Tudor for a last-16 first-leg tie away against Atletico Madrid.
It proved an utterly disastrous night as the 23-year-old twice lost his footing to gift early goals and was substituted after only 17 minutes with Tottenham 3-0 down in a game they would go on to lose 5-2.
The writing appeared to be very much on the wall for Kinsky after that in terms of his Spurs career, though the Czech Republic international has since produced a remarkable comeback to play a vital role in the club’s successful bid for Premier League survival.
Reinstalled as the starter after Vicario underwent hernia surgery in March, he came up with a number of key saves to help Tottenham eventually claw their way to enough points for safety - including crucial last-gasp stops in the win at Wolves and home draw with Leeds, plus denying Tyrique George in the final seconds against Everton.
De Zerbi has been full of praise for Kinsky, whom he has kept as his starting goalkeeper for the final two games of the season against Chelsea and Everton despite the return to fitness of Vicario, who remained on the bench in both matches and was an influential and animated figure in the dugout on the final day.
Speaking after the 1-0 victory at home to Everton that saw Spurs retain their top-flight status at rivals West Ham’s expense, the head coach lifted the lid on his aborted plan to name Kinsky as his captain for his first game in charge at Sunderland, which he thought might give him a vital confidence boost.
Spurs’ club captain, Cristian Romero, picked up a season-ending knee injury in that match at the Stadium of Light following an accidental collision with Kinsky, with centre-back partner Micky van de Ven stepping in as skipper for the remainder of the campaign.
“About Kinsky, I want to say a secret,” De Zerbi told reporters. “Before my first game in Sunderland I thought to give, when I was in Italy, I thought to give for the Sunderland game, just for one game, to make Kinsky the captain.
“To show just one thing, very important in football but in life. If we are a team, we are like a family. If one of us is going through a difficult period, we have to stay with him.
“Showing love, showing everything he needs, but he didn't need it because he has a strong character, strong personality. He's a great goalkeeper.
“And I want to say also something for Vicario because with me he was fantastic. As a guy, staying at the side with his passion today on the bench. He accepted my decision with a smile.”
