Antonio Conte reacts to Tottenham star Richarlison's 'this season has been s**t' comments following UCL knockout
Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has reacted to the comments made by Brazilian forward Richarlison after their UEFA Champions League draw to AC Milan.
The Spurs forward was critical of his team's performance as well as his manager Conte following his decision to bench him for the Round of 16 game on March 8. The north London side crashed out of the competition, losing 1-0 on aggregate.
Richarlison came on in the 70th minute of the second-leg clash and was very disappointed during a post-match interview, calling out his manager in the process.
Reacting to his comments, Conte has claimed that the Brazil international didn't criticize him. In a pre-match press conference, he said:
"First of all, I watched the interview of Richarlison. He didn't criticize me. He said his season was (swearing) and he's right. His season has not been good. He had injuries, played and scored in the Champions League and then went to the World Cup and then had a serious injury."
He continued:
"He [Richarlison] has scored no goals for us. I think he was really honest to say his season was not good. His season has not finished yet. If he deserves to play I'll give him the opportunity."
Meanwhile, Conte was a bit critical of Richarlison, stating that the player was a bit selfish as he spoke about himself and not his team. He said:
"He made a mistake and he apologised and it was good for me to clarify with the team again about this. In this aspect we have to improve. We have to be more of a team and show more spirit positive, especially in negative moments."
He continued:
"Sometimes it's not enough to be a good guy. You have to to show the right desire and fight to win the game and the duels, to be nasty. I think sometimes we're a bit soft, but I'm the coach and I'm the first person responsible for this to happen and it doesn't happen every time. I have to improve the team and I have to improve the spirit of my team. It always happened in the past and I hope it happens here."
🗣️ “I watched the interview of Richarlison, he didn’t criticise me. He said my season is s*** and he’s right. His season is not good because he had a lot of injuries. If he deserves to play I’ll give him the opportunity.”
Antonio Conte on Richarlison’s interview. 🇧🇷 https://t.co/Ycq1ZDJN3M
How has Richarlison faired for Tottenham this season?
The Brazilian forward has struggled to prove himself at Tottenham since making a big-money move to the north London club last summer.
Spurs splashed a transfer fee in the region of ÂŁ60 million to secure the signature of the forward from Everton.
However, his performances this season have been way below expectations. He has also found it hard to break into the team, having to deal with injuries.
The Brazilian has scored just two goals and registered three assists in 25 games across competitions for Spurs.
Antonio Conte agrees that Richarlison hasn't had a good season đź‘€ https://t.co/HAaUI043Hl
While his two goals for Spurs have come in this season's UEFA Champions League, he is still yet to open his account in the Premier League.