TOTTENHAM FORWARD RICHARLISON has accused boss Antonio Conte of messing him about and says this season has been “shit” for him.
The Brazil international signed in the summer for £60million from Everton but has endured a frustrating time in north London, having suffered from injuries and also spending the majority of the campaign on the bench.
He was a substitute again in the limp 0-0 draw with AC Milan on Wednesday night, which saw his side dumped out of the last-16 tie.
And in an explosive interview after the game, where he came on in the 70th minute, he hit out at Conte for his selection policy having been dropped in recent games following a short spell in the team.
“I didn’t understand… I was playing well, we won against Chelsea and West Ham and suddenly I was on the bench,” he said.
“I played five minutes against Wolves, asked the reason and no one told me why. Yesterday they asked me to take a fitness test in the gym and told me I was going to start today if I passed it.
And today I was on the bench. There are things I can’t understand. There was no explanation again. Let’s see what he (Conte) will tell us tomorrow but I’m not silly, I’m a professional that works hard every day and I want to play. There hasn’t been enough minutes given to me, this season – and forgive my language – has been shit.
“I don’t have enough minutes, was injured for a bit, but when I’m on the pitch I give my life.
“I played well in two games, especially against Chelsea, so I think I should have played tonight, but I can’t go on crying about it now.”
The 25-year-old has played just 661 minutes in the Premier League, having started only seven times, and is yet to score.
He says he has not yet started paying back his hefty fee and will wait to see whether he will be given a chance against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
“We have around 15 games to play now and the focus is that,” he said. “I’ll try to score as many goals as I can because the club has paid a lot of money for me and I haven’t given enough back on the pitch yet.
“Fair to say my injuries didn’t help and I haven’t had enough minutes. But now I’ll go home, rest, train tomorrow and see if he’ll put me in the first XI next game.”
Prior to Richarlison’s interview, Conte gave no assurances over his own future and insisted he cannot create a “miracle” after he watched Spurs’ season spiral further out of control with a Champions League exit.
Milan earned the stalemate they needed to progress 1-0 on aggregate following their last-16 first-leg victory in the San Siro last month with Spurs mustering only two shots on target and ending the tie with 10 men after Cristian Romero’s 77th-minute sending off.
It capped off a disastrous seven days for Tottenham, who exited the FA Cup last week away to Championship outfit Sheffield United and lost at Wolves on Saturday to let slip their grip on fourth place in the Premier League.
Those results along with Conte’s health problems – he had his gallbladder removed on 1 February – have accelerated speculation that the Italian’s tenure is coming to an end and he was cagey about how the coming months looked when quizzed on this latest blow for the north London club.
“This is not the right day to speak about the future but I have a contract with Tottenham and then Tottenham know very well which is my thought and at end of season, we will meet and make a decision,” Conte said.
I have a great relationship with my chairman (Daniel Levy), with Fabio Paratici (managing director), but it doesn’t mean I don’t tell them which is my vision — you understand? Then, we will see.
“Now we have to finish the season. I have a contract until June. I am happy to work in Tottenham but at the end will make a decision, OK, but the club knows very well which is my vision, which are my thoughts about the situation.”
This fixture was Conte’s first back on the touchline since the first leg in Milan after doctors ordered him to rest for two and a half weeks having rushed his return from gallbladder surgery.
While the 53-year-old looked closer to his usual animated self on the sideline, his team produced a limp first-half display and were duly booed off at the break, lucky to be level after Junior Messias squandered a fine early opportunity for the visitors.
Tottenham improved in trademark fashion in the second half but still struggled to create opportunities and when Mike Maignan denied Harry Kane’s stoppage-time header, the hosts’ European journey for another campaign was finished and it confirmed a 15th consecutive trophyless season for the club.
Conte added: “The reality is we are out from the FA Cup and now Champions League. Yeah, what I can say is we are working. We are working to try to improve and to go step by step but if someone think in one day, two day, one year, you start to win? It is difficult.
“I know to win you have to build, you need time and to go step by step and to accept this type of defeat. This defeat — because I think Sheffield United was unacceptable but today, for the opponent, for the trophy we play, I don’t like to lose but it can happen during a path to this situation. Especially — I repeat — because last season, don’t forget, we play Conference League and two years ago Europa League.
“I am really sorry for the fans, I am really sorry but we cannot invite the win. This is important to know this. We cannot invite the win or hope for a miracle one day that a trophy goes into our training ground or pitch.
We have to build and have patience. I understand for the fans, they don’t have patience because for a long time Tottenham is not winning but what I can promise is we continue to work really hard for this club to continue to improve and then we see what happen.
Spurs’ sorrow was delight for Milan, who secured a quarter-final berth in this competition for the first time since 2012.
Manager Stefano Pioli said: “Yes absolutely we deserved to go through.
“We outdid our opponents in both games. They are a tough team to play against but our mental attitude was really good, really strong. We never gave up and this is something we need to take into our league games.”
