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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Ange Postecoglou has defended Guglielmo Vicario over his clash with Tottenham supporters on Thursday and says he does not want his players to be ‘robots’.
Goalkeeper Vicario, 28, was seen gesturing towards the Spurs fans after their Europa League defeat at AZ Alkmaar in a call for more support, which appeared to anger the travelling contingent.
But Postecoglou insisted his player’s actions were done only with the best intentions.
‘Vic is very, very passionate about this football club,’ said Postecoglou on Friday. ‘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 they don’t know the man that I do.
‘The guy’s one of the purest human beings you could ever come across. So whatever he does, he does what he thinks
is best for the team, best for this football club because he really cares.’
Postecoglou was on the receiving end of fans’ ire after the 1-0 defeat at Bournemouth in December. Speaking ahead of Saturday's return fixture, the 59-year-old said: ‘I don’t know what people want. Do they just want robots who just stand there, clap and walk off?
‘Whether it is me, a player or the fans, there is emotion after a game. Sometimes that is not positive and you want to deal with in the right way but we are human beings.’
Postecoglou’s side will attempt to overturn the one-goal deficit in the second leg of their last-16 tie at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Thursday.
For his part, Vicario attempted to placate Tottenham supporters last night after the fractious post-match exchange in the Netherlands.
The Italian wrote on Instagram: ‘As a team, we take full responsibility for our terrible performance. Still, we have a great opportunity starting from Sunday to redeem ourselves.
‘Regarding what happened at the final whistle, I want to clarify my intention to keep everyone as united as possible, even in the disappointment we have caused our people.
‘If I have offended anyone, I apologise to those who felt affected. Post-match emotions can be misunderstood but I assure you my commitment to this team and you, our fans, grows stronger day after day.’