Vicario appeared to question the Spurs fans' reaction at full time on Thursday
Postecoglou has defended the star, insisting he simply cares about the club
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By LEWIS BROWNING
Published: 12:41 EST, 7 March 2025 | Updated: 12:41 EST, 7 March 2025
Ange Postecoglou has leapt to the defence of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario following his post-match actions in the Netherlands.
Tottenham suffered a 1-0 defeat in the first leg of their Europa League last-16 clash with AZ Alkmaar on Thursday night, leaving fans inside the ground frustrated as they jeered the players.
The Spurs stars did nonetheless applaud the fans, but two of the players appeared to question the response they received from the travelling thousands.
One of those players was James Maddison, who appeared bothered by the response as he held out his arms and pulled a face as the players were criticised by supporters.
The other, meanwhile, was Vicario, who was seen demonstratively raising his arms towards the away fans, appearing to be calling for more support and consoling the younger players.
Fans didn't change their attitude towards the players, and some criticised Vicario further, but his manager has now defender his actions in the fallout of the game.
Ange Postecolou has leapt to the defence of goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario following Tottenham's loss on Thursday
Vicario called for more support from the fans in attendance as the players were booed
Postecoglou said goalkeeper 'is very passionate about this football club' as he defended star
'Vic is very passionate about this football club,' Postecoglou began. 'He's very passionate about what we're trying to do here, and he wants to win, and he wants everyone on board with that.
'And if people think there is one bad or vindictive bone in Vicario's makeup, they don't know the man that I do.
'Whatever he does, he does what he thinks is best for the team and best for this football club because he really cares.'
Vicario, meanwhile, said after the game: 'I can understand the disappointment for the night because we didn't play our football.
'I can understand the frustration of the fans. But we still have a lot to play for, especially in the second leg.
'It's just a way of trying to stay together because we have the opportunity to go through to the next round.
'We need them every game, home and away. We know they are very important for us and now is a big moment of the season and with them we can play with one more man on the pitch so it's so important.
'I can really understand the disappointment they had because we didn't show our level of football. It's disappointing for us but we have to analyse and forget and be ready for the next round. It's the moment to stick together.'
Vicario said he understood the disappointment but urged everyone involved to stick together
James Maddison was another player who questioned the fans' response inside the ground
The first leg defeat marks the latest setback in Tottenham's season, with the Europa League providing their last chance of silverware.
Ange Postecoglou's side had headed into the knock-out stage of the competition as the tournament favourites, but will have to rescue their last-16 tie at home next week.
Tottenham will return to Premier League action against Bournemouth on Sunday, with the club currently lying 13th in the table having lost 14 of their 27 league games.