Former Italian striker Paolo Di Canio believes coach Igor Tudor “destroyed” young goalkeeper Antonín Kinský with his decision and “could pay for it” in his future career at the highest level. According to Di Canio, Tottenham’s previous defeats were not the fault of the main goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Tudor found himself in the spotlight when, in a crucial Champions League match, he controversially fielded 22-year-old Kinský instead of Italian international Vicario, giving him his debut in the tournament. The Spurs quickly conceded three goals within 15 minutes at the Wanda Metropolitano, two of which were attributed to Kinský. Already in the 16th minute of the match, Tudor substituted the Czech goalkeeper, bringing Vicario back onto the field.
Tudor Explains His Goalkeeper Decision
Explaining his decision after the game, Tudor stated: “I’ve been coaching for 15 years and I’ve never done it before. It was necessary to protect the guy and the team. Before the game, it was the right choice, considering the pressure on Vicario. Antonín is a very good goalkeeper. For me, it was the right decision. Of course, afterwards it’s easy to say it wasn’t right. I spoke to Tony after; he’s a good guy, a good goalkeeper, and unfortunately, such mistakes happen in these games. The start of the match was too difficult for us.”
Paolo Di Canio, who previously played for top clubs including West Ham, Lazio, Juventus, and Milan, harshly criticized the Croatian tactician’s actions. “He’s not entirely wrong, but in this case, he brought it upon himself. I feel sorry for him. Perhaps he just lets everything slide off him and doesn’t realize what the tabloids will write. They are ruthless,” Di Canio said.
“They will destroy him, because when you make such a choice, you are hard to understand. I don’t know if there were any problems with Vicario, and there was probably some confrontation in the dressing room, but certainly not because the recent defeats are Vicario’s fault. He made a few mistakes, but in front of him was a completely collapsed team that was leaking from all sides,” Di Canio added.
“If you put a guy who only has 17 appearances for Slavia Prague into such a delicate match, and say the player is strong with only six appearances, you asked for it, and you destroyed him,” Di Canio continued, emphasizing the inexperience of Kinský for such a critical fixture.
“I understand that Igor is very tough, and I don’t know if he will pay for this in his career at the highest level. I really don’t think he will stay at Tottenham; they will go and hire an English coach.”
For context, Tudor was sacked by Juventus at the end of October 2025 and replaced by Luciano Spalletti. He accepted the Tottenham offer on February 14, 2026, but has since lost all four matches under his leadership.
