The largest topic of discussion following Tottenham Hotspur demolishing Atletico Madrid in the first leg of the round-of-16 of the UEFA champions league in the heavy 5-2 loss to the Spaniards on Tuesday was Antonin Kinsky substitution.
There was a surprising announcement by Tottenham interim coach Igor Tudor before the start of the game. He replaced regular goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario and gave his young Czech keeper Antonin Kinsky his first start in many months, since October.
But the dice threw very soon became a nightmare. Within the opening 15 minutes of the game, Tottenham allowed three goals. Two of these objectives followed the expensive errors of the 22-year-old goalkeeper. The initial collapse left the team in a state of great pressure in the Wanda Metropolitano.
Tudor reacted immediately. At the 17 th minute, he substituted Kinsky with Vicario. The ruling was a shocking one to both fans and pundits. The cameras captured Tudor standing with no expression and the young keeper as he walked out of the pitch and headed directly towards the dressing room.
The move was criticised by a number of former players. Paul Robinson, an ex-England goalkeeper, claimed that the change was made to look like a self-preservation move as opposed to player progression.
Robinson says that when the manager first brought Kinsky into the club; he wanted him to play well to prove he would retain him in the team. However, when things failed Tudor changed his mind nearly at once.
Another ex-England goalkeeper Joe Hart also said he was surprised at the time. He told me that the whole stadium appeared to be pitiful about the goalkeeper. Hart also raised the issue of why the manager did not support Kinsky when he left the pitch.
Atletico personalities responded sympathetically. Head coach Diego Simeone also confirmed that he had hardly ever witnessed such a scenario in football.
