Guglielmo Vicario makes bold claim as Tottenham send warning to Europa League rivals | OneFootball

Spurs showed a lesser-seen steel to reach the semi-finals

Guglielmo Vicario says Tottenham showed they can match any opponent left in the Europa League after their battling win over Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany.

The winners will face Manchester United or Athletic Bilbao, who would have home advantage, in the Spanish city in the final on May 21.

"We know we are going to face another tough opponent in the semi-final," Vicario said. "We know when we arrive at this stage of the competition that every game will be tough.

“But we will fight for sure because [against Frankfurt] we showed that we have the capacity of doing that.

Guglielmo Vicario celebrated with the Spurs coaching staff at the full-time whistle

REUTERS

"For us it’s very important to be through. It’s a big night. Now we want to live this moment altogether because it’s been a very suffering season. It was an amazing night for us. An amazing achievement, an amazing result.

"We go to the semi-final now, the job is not done but I saw tonight there was a really big desire to fight to get this win and to go through this round from everyone who started, who came off the bench.

"It’s a really proud night for Tottenham Hotspur. We’ve managed to handle it and be proud of ourselves."

Spurs have long been viewed as a soft touch - a perception which pre-dates Postecoglou - and they have been abject in the Premier League this season, losing 17 of their 32 games to leave the head coach under pressure.

We know what we are capable of when we are really tuned in, when we work hard as a team like we showed tonight

Guglielmo Vicario

But Vicario has faith in the side's capabilities when they are "really tuned in" and says the win in Frankfurt was big for everyone at the club, including Postecoglou.

"It’s just a perception," said the Italian when asked about Spurs' reputation. "But we know what we are capable of when we are really tuned in, when we work hard as a team like we showed tonight.

"The achievement in both legs has been very, very deserved from what we showed at our home ground and tonight with the resilience, the desire to fight.

"We got the job done and it’s a fully deserved semi-final of a big European competition.

“Of course we are [satisfied] because everyone suffered a lot this season. It’s been a very tough one but now we are still alive and we want to fight for something special.

“It’s an important achievement. The job is not done but it’s a big win for Tottenham Hotspur, for everyone, for the boss, for us players, for the staff, for the fans. So we are very proud of what we showed."