The Italian Tottenham goalkeeper made his debut with a win against Villarreal: “The level is very high, but I’m never satisfied.”

The climb continues. In two years, Guglielmo Vicario has gone from Empoli to the Champions League as Tottenham’s starting goalkeeper, a never-ending rise that has seen him establish himself as the starter for one of the most important teams in the world’s most important league, the Premier League, where when he arrived two years ago he first had to prove he deserved his place. Now, not only is there no doubt that the 28-year-old, who grew up in Udine idolizing Gigi Buffon, deserves to be among the greats, but it is his mentality, his desire to never settle, that promises to take him even higher. Like his Tottenham team, which, with its Champions League victory over Villarreal, has now won four of its last five games, keeping a clean sheet in each. And which is preparing for the return of the Premier League tomorrow in Brighton, with the aim of continuing its march forward.

Guglielmo, you also made your Champions League debut. How did it go?

“It went very well. Everyone played well, and it was important for me to finish the game without conceding a goal. The level in this competition is high: we knew we were facing a tough team that knows how to play football, and we’re happy to have gotten off to a good start.“

What makes the Champions League different from other competitions?

”It’s not just hearing the music at the start, which does give you different emotions. You can see that the level is higher: without taking anything away from those who participate in the Europa League, every game here is at a different level. Fortunately, we play in a super competitive league that shows us every weekend the level at which we have to compete: we are definitely more prepared and we know what performances we have to deliver.”

Four clean sheets in five games: what has changed at Tottenham?

“What has changed is our ability to recognize the different phases of the game: understanding when we need to press high up the pitch and when we need to cover the field better. In general, there is more focus on defending the area, partly because we have a clearer understanding of the different phases without the ball. Against Villarreal, we allowed a few too many transitions, and we need to take away some of our opponents’ hope when they go on the counterattack, but overall it was an excellent defensive performance by the team, and we need to continue in this vein.”

You are starting your third year in the Premier League and seem increasingly comfortable.

“Yes. I feel different since I arrived, in terms of confidence, leadership, and many things off the pitch. It’s normal, I’m happy, but we mustn’t stop and we mustn’t settle: that’s how football is, and there are pitfalls around every corner. We have to live in the moment but always be alert and aware of what might happen.”

Starting goalkeeper for Tottenham, a fixture in the Premier League, now also in the Champions League: how do you improve?

“By enjoying the moment without setting limits. Two years ago, I was playing for a small club in Italy that gave me so much, and in two seasons I managed to win a European competition. This year, there is a desire to redeem ourselves in the Premier League, the novelty of the Champions League for many of us, and a new coach like Frank, who has brought us great enthusiasm and different ideas that we are trying to put into practice day after day with great attention and participation. There are lots of new things, lots of good things: I’m convinced we have a great season ahead of us.“

In all these improvements, how much did winning the Europa League last year give you?

”Winning definitely gives you a different dimension, probably even in the eyes of others. And a bit of healthy respect: we had this thing, even within the club, of always getting there but then not winning, but now we’ve done it. This has freed us up a bit: we’ve taken a weight off our shoulders, so now we can move forward aware of our strengths. And also with goals, which we keep to ourselves and which we absolutely want to achieve.”