Antonio Conte said his Tottenham Hotspur squad lacks the depth to challenge for both the Premier League and Champions League titles.
The Italian saw his side lose a second successive league match on Sunday as Spurs came off second best against Newcastle United just days after being outclassed by Manchester United.
Conte was unable to call on the injured forwards Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski for Sunday's 2-1 defeat by Newcastle, while Cristian Romero and Pierre-Emerick Hojbjerg were left out of the squad due to fatigue.
Spurs host Sporting in the Champions League on Wednesday before taking on Bournemouth in the Premier League on Saturday.
"My only worry in this moment is that we have to try to keep the fingers crossed that we don't have injuries because we are not a team with a squad depth to face competition like Premier League and Champions League," Conte told reporters.
"But this is not something against the club, we knew this situation."
Conte guided Spurs to a fourth-place finish last season after taking over from Nuno Espirito Santo last November.
But Tottenham's best start to a top-flight season since the 1963/64 campaign has now had a harsh reality check with back-to-back defeats. They stay third with 23 points from 12 games, and are seven games into a run of 13 matches in 43 days.
Conte warned it will take a few transfer windows for him to assemble a squad capable of challenging for major honours.
Tottenham v Newcastle ratings
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TOTTENHAM RATINGS: Hugo Lloris – 3. A bad day in the office for the Frenchman, who was at fault for both goals. First, he misjudged a Schar long ball and collided with Wilson to leave his net exposed. Then, his poor ball to Sessegnon was intercepted by Longstaff, leaving Almiron to burst into the box and tap in from a tight angle. Getty Images -
Clement Lenglet – 4. Offered plenty from his range of passing to move play forward, but was shaky in defence and was left tangled by one of Almiron’s bursting runs into the box. AP Photo -
Eric Dier – 5. There were some misjudged loose balls from the centre-back, but Dier’s experience came in handy, most notably in the second half sliding in to clear Joelinton’s run after Sanchez was dispossessed. AP Photo -
Davinson Sanchez – 4. Started in place of Cristian Romero but was much less assured than his teammate, and struggled to deal with the press and pace of Newcastle’s frontmen. AP Photo -
Ryan Sessegnon – 5. Full of energy on the left wing, Sessegnon was a constant outlet and formed part of Spurs’ early counter attacks. His highlight going forward was a first-half shot that was cleared by Schar. Defensively, Longstaff and Almiron sometimes got the better of him, and he faded as the game went on. Booked. PA -
Oliver Skipp – 7. Handed his first Premier League start since January, Skipp was continuously looking for a way to move the ball forward with encouraging work on and off the ball. Booked. AP Photo -
Yves Bissouma – 5. Not at his best, the former Brighton player’s best attacking moment came in the first half, but he was unable to keep his effort low from 25-yards out. EPA -
Rodrigo Bentancur – 8. The Uruguayan started well and was given freedom on the left with Bissouma sitting deeper, pressing Newcastle and helping with Spurs’ early breaks. Booked when protesting Newcastle’s first goal. Getty Images -
Emerson Royal – 5. Having served a three-match suspension, Royal returned but saw little attacking promise on the wing until the second half. He was, however, crucial in keeping Newcastle’s lead down after half-time, blocking Joelinton’s shot in the box and clearing a loose ball from the follow-up corner. PA -
Son Heung-Min – 6. The South Korean wasted no time testing Pope, driving forward into the final third within the first minute of the game. Minutes later he fired narrowly over. He should have scored when Kane played a through ball, but his finish lacked the power to get past the goal-line. Getty Images -
Harry Kane – 7. Central to Spurs’ good moves in the first half, Kane’s first shot came just before the half-hour mark when he tested Pope. He went one better at the back post to head home his 10th goal of the season to half the deficit. Getty Images -
SUBS: Ivan Perisic (Sessegnon 61’) – 5. Opted to go for goal when Kane squeezed a ball through several Newcastle shirts, but it was an easy save for Pope. Getty Images -
Lucas Moura (Skipp 67’) – 5. An earlier introduction from the bench for Moura as Spurs looked for an equaliser. He attempted to get on the ball and fire up his side, albeit to no success. Reuters -
Matt Doherty (Lenglet 81’) – N/R. Returned to the bench following the end of Emerson Royal’s three-match suspension, and gave Lenglet a much-needed breather. Reuters -
Ben Davies (Sanchez 81’) – N/R. A late change for Spurs to bring some fresh energy off the bench. AFP -
NEWCASTLE RATINGS: Nick Pope – 7. The England international was equal to Son’s shot in the first minute and Kane’s later in the first half, but he could do little about his fellow international bundling home a header at close range. Faced 17 shots in total. Booked for time wasting. EPA -
Kieran Trippier – 7. Returning to Tottenham for the first time since his departure in 2019, Trippier was needed to deny his former side with a goal-line clearance early on. Later on, though, he could do little to stop his former teammate Kane from scoring at the far post. Had a lot of touches and looked in fine form. Getty Images -
Fabian Schar – 8. The Swiss defender caught out Spurs’ backline with a superb long ball to Wilson. The pass left Spurs open and the goal exposed for Wilson to tap home. At the other end, he tracked back well to clear Sessegnon’s first-half shot. Reuters -
Sven Botman – 7. A solid display from the Dutch defender. He exuded calmness in the backline during periods of Spurs pressure, and made some crucial clearances. Getty Images -
Dan Burn – 7. Calm and assured display at left-back, with the former Brighton player limiting attacks on his flank. EPA -
Joelinton – 7. The Brazilian was able to shake off a knee injury to start, and he squeezed through Spurs’ backline to meet Schar’s long ball in the opening minutes. Getty Images -
Sean Longstaff – 7. Showed plenty of hunger, and beat Sessegnon to Lloris’ long ball to play Almiron in for Newcastle’s second. PA -
Joe Willock – 7. Returning to the team, the former Arsenal player came close to scoring when his shot took a deflection from Wilson and went narrowly wide of the post. Getty Images -
Bruno Guimaraes – 7. Travelled in time for the game following the birth of his first child and proved to be more than ready for the battle, causing problems for Spurs and controlling the midfield. AP Photo -
Miguel Almiron – 9. The Paraguayan doubled Newcastle’s lead before half time, the confident striker dispossessing Sessegnon before sprinting past Lenglet and tapping past Lloris from a tight angle. Electric all game. Getty Images -
Callum Wilson – 8. Scoring his fourth league goal of the season, Wilson chased Schar’s long ball before colliding with Lloris and chipping the ball into the empty net from distance. Booked. Getty Images -
SUBS: Jacob Murphy (Willock 75’) – N/A. Dropped after a good run in the Newcastle team and didn’t see too much of the ball following his introduction. EPA -
Chris Wood (Wilson 88’) – N/A. A late substitution, but Wood was played in and set on a counter attack before he was brought down by Emerson Royal. Getty Images -
Jonjo Shelvey (Guimaraes 89’) – N/A. Part of a double substitution as he made his first appearance of the season as he returns from a hamstring injury. Reuters
"I spoke with the club at the start of the season, I said 'We have to go step by step, time and patience to have two, three transfer markets to bring this squad [to be] competitive to play two important competitions ...'
"This situation makes me frustrated because I'd like to play these type of games and the Champions League with the best team, then on the bench have three, four, five good substitutions ... The squad doesn't allow to lose four players in this moment.
"The important teams that are going to fight to win, the title contenders, you see them when you play every three days because you need a deep squad and strong squad with quality. We have only just started our process.
"If we play one game every six or seven days, I think we can fight for something important.
"To play every three days, I think we have to be patient and not be disappointed too much."
Newcastle laid down a marker in the battle for a place in next season's Champions League as Eddie Howe's men edged ahead of Chelsea and Manchester United into fourth place - two points behind Spurs.
Backed by the Saudi sovereign wealth fund, Howe will be given further resources to strengthen in the January window, posing a major threat to the traditional powers for a place in the top four.
But the Newcastle boss claimed putting his side's rise down the club's new-found wealth is unfair on the efforts of his players, many of whom were signed before the Saudi takeover.
"The problem is that [the money] takes away the credit from the players," said Howe.
"We're enjoying the moment but we won't be getting ahead of ourselves."
