Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeping coach Fabian Otte has given words of support to Antoin Kinski after Spurs’ goalkeeper was substituted early against Atletico Madrid. Kinski suffered the humiliation of being sent off in the first half of Tuesday’s 5-2 loss in Spain.
The 22-year-old replaced Guglielmo Vicario to secure a regular place in Igor Tudor’s side. However, the Czech goalkeeper had a nightmare performance in the Champions League, making several mistakes and Tottenham were down 3-0 within the first 15 minutes.
Kinski, who was disapproved of by Tudor and replaced by Vicario, looked devastated as he trudged down the tunnel. After his public humiliation at the Wanda Metropolitano Stadium, many are questioning the young star’s future in north London.
In an Instagram post after the game in Madrid, Otte tried to lift Kinski’s spirits. Quoting former basketball player Kobe Bryant, he said, “Everything negative, like pressure or challenges, is an opportunity for me to rise.”
He added: “Big things are about to happen, my friend!!” After the game, Tudor tried to justify his unusual decision, claiming that he had to make it “to protect the team.”
The 47-year-old said: “In 15 years of coaching, things like that have rarely happened and never happened. It was necessary to preserve the players and preserve the team. It’s an unbelievable situation and there’s nothing to comment on, but you’ll see. It was the right choice to make in this moment, just like we did before the game.”
“The pressure on Vicario, another competition, Toni is a very good goalkeeper. So for me it was the right decision. Of course, after this it’s easy to say it wasn’t the right decision.
“I also explained to Toni in my speech afterwards that he was qualified and a good goalkeeper. Unfortunately, these mistakes happened in this important game.
“We started the game and it was too much for us. In this moment of vulnerability, we are weak. Even in the second half it was 4-2. It was almost 4-2 against Richarlison. We were trying to score 4-2 but we conceded.”
Tottenham face Liverpool on Sunday, and their focus will once again shift to the battle to remain in the Premier League.
Spurs currently remain one point above the relegation zone with nine games remaining.
