Tottenham Hotspur attacker Richarlison has added to the problems of manager Antonio Conte by criticising the Italian over his lack of playing time this season.
Spurs meekly exited the Champions League on Wednesday when their last-16 second-leg goalless draw at home to Serie A side AC Milan meant the North London club were knocked out 1-0 on aggregate.
Last Saturday, Conte's side were beaten by a late Adama Traore goal at Wolves which leaves them fourth in the Premier League table, but with Liverpool and Newcastle United breathing down their necks with games in hand.
Spurs were also knocked out of the FA Cup away to second-tier Sheffield United at the fifth-round stage, while Conte himself has only just returned to the Spurs dugout after attempting to come back to soon following surgery to remove his gallbladder last month.
And now Richarlison – who joined Spurs from Everton for £60 million in the summer – has gone public with his frustrations after he was only used as a second-half substitute against Milan, despite Spurs needing to overcome a one-goal deficit from the first leg in Italy.
“I didn't understand … I was playing well, we won against Chelsea and West Ham and suddenly I was on the bench,” said Richarlison to TNT Sports Brazil.
“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 s***. I don't have enough minutes, was injured for a bit, but when I'm on the pitch I give my life.
Tottenham 0 Spurs 0: Player ratings
-
TOTTENHAM PLAYER RATINGS: Fraser Forster, 6 – Untested for the most part in what turned into a pretty drab affair, although he kept his side in the tie just after the break with a big save on Diaz. EPA -
Cristian Romero, 2 – Lacked discipline. Picked up an avoidable booking when he opted to stop Leao in his tracks with brute force. He escaped without further punishment when he cynically fouled Diaz but saw red after clattering Hernandez. Getty -
Clement Lenglet, 6 – Became the second man to rule himself out of the next round for a stray elbow into the back of Giroud’s head, although in the end it didn’t matter. A clean sheet against a decent side, but Milan barely had to leave second gear. Getty -
Ben Davies, 5 – A couple of important interceptions from the Welshman, but he also put the ball straight out of play after miscontrolling Maignan’s punt forward. If anything summed up the evening, it was probably that. AP -
Emerson Royal, 7 – Had Maignan scrambling when his deflected strike span towards the corner of the goal, but Tomori had taken the sting out of the shot. Took the ball off the head of Giroud with a vital flick on at the back post. Reuters -
Oliver Skipp, 4 – Escaped an early yellow card for wrestling Leao who was looking to race away for the first time. Failed to inject any creativity on a dismal night for Spurs. Getty -
Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, 4 –Like Skipp, he failed to produce a spark to get Spurs ticking in the middle in a passive performance. With that said, he tested Maignan for the first time with a powerful effort. Getty -
Ivan Perisic, 4 – A sluggish performance from the Croatian who allowed Milan to recycle the ball after a poor cross stayed in play, and failed to prevent a well-worked set-piece from reaching Messias at the far post as the latter fired wide. EPA -
Dejan Kulusevski, 5 – A disappointing first half that started brightly when he neatly turned the ball around the corner for Perisic but fizzled out. Provided a couple of teasing deliveries in a better second-half display, but he was still nowhere near his best. Getty -
Son Heung-min, 4 – A quiet night from the usually tireless South Korea star, who won his side a corner with a deflected strike but offered little else. Admittedly he didn’t have much service to feed off, and he almost set up a dramatic equaliser when he found Kane late on. Getty -
Harry Kane, 6 –. Opened Milan up for the first time when he charged forward and laid the ball off for Kulusevski. He found chances hard to come by after that, although he almost snatched an underserved lifeline when his stoppage-time header was brilliantly saved. Getty -
Pedro Porro (Perisic 53'), 7 – Had a chance to make an almost instant impact, but he hit a poor free-kick straight into the wall from a promising area. He was full of energy in a decent display and he thwarted Tonali with a huge block. Getty -
Davinson Sanchez (Kulusevski 53'), 6 – Replaced Kulusevski to a chorus of boos, which probably wasn’t how it wanted to mark his 200th appearance for Spurs. EPA -
Richarlison (Emerson 69'), 4 – Should have been booked for checking Maignan and then grabbing the goalkeeper by the throat. Petulant behaviour when Spurs had a job to do. Reuters -
AC MILAN PLAYER RATINGS: Mike Maignan, 8 – Untroubled by a couple of deflected strikes from Emerson and Kane in the first half. Produce a late wonder-save to deny the latter and ensure Milan progressed, but it was an otherwise quiet night for the Milan goalkeeper. Getty -
Pierre Kalulu, 7 – Halted a promising Spurs counter with a calculated sliding challenge as the game entered the home straight and he got a vital connection on a dangerous cross with a white shirt lurking behind him. Reuters -
Malick Thiaw, 7 – Untroubled for most of the night despite rising Tottenham pressure after the break. Effectively broke up the play when he took out Richarlison who was looking to play in Son and Milan escaped unscathed. AFP -
Fikayo Tomori, 8 – Solid and reliable. Got an important body in the way of Emerson’s strike which allowed Maignan to smother, and he did a superb job on Kane to significantly blunt the Spurs attack. Getty -
Junior Messias, 6 – Dragged a big chance horribly wide after a well-crafted move that caught Spurs napping, and he saw another opportunity go begging when he cut inside nicely only to blast miles over Forster’s crossbar. AFP -
Rade Krunic, 6 – Had Milan cantering up the field before he was halted by Skipp as Milan started positively. Nullified the Tottenham midfield in a scrappy encounter. AFP -
Sandro Tonali, 6 – Picked out Giroud with a lovely lofted ball over the top, but the forward’s overhead kick attempt was all wrong and failed to match the gloss of Tonali’s pass. Wasted a huge opportunity when he fired straight into Porro. AP -
Theo Hernandez, 8 – Led by example. Scrapped for everything and made life difficult for the Spurs midfielders, although he wasted an early chance to pile on the pressure when his free-kick was far too deep. AFP -
Brahim Diaz, 8 – Lively. Came to life after the break when he danced into the penalty area and forced a smart save from Forster, before winning a free-kick in a dangerous area after nutmegging Emerson. Getty -
Rafael Leao, 7 – Always looked to be a dangerous outlet. Scuffed his best effort after the break after great work from Diaz but the latter should have scored after brilliant work from Leao moments later. Getty -
Olivier Giroud, 6 – The former Arsenal and Chelsea man will have been hungry for a goal given the opposition. He forced Forster into action with an instinctive volley after good work from Leao, but otherwise he struggled for clear-cut chances. EPA -
SUBS: Alexis Saelemaekers (Messias 56'), 6 – A decent outing from the substitute who made himself busy in the Milan midfield. AP -
Ismael Bennacer (Diaz 81'), NR – Tested the gloves of Forster from distance as the minutes trickled down. Getty -
Divock Origi (Giroud 81'), NR – The former Liverpool man broke Spurs' hearts in the Champions League final four years ago, and he almost did so again when his 94th-minute effort hammered the post. AP -
Ante Rebic (Leao 89'), NR – A brief cameo for the experienced winger. Getty
“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.”
Richarlison arrived as a club's record signing and yet he has only started 12 games in all competitions and only been named in the starting line-up for consecutive league fixtures on two occasions.
The 25-year-old has a playing average of just under 45 minutes across his 25 appearances, scoring just two goals in that time across all competitions.
Spurs face Nottingham Forest on Saturday and it remains to be seen whether Richarlison will be named in the starting XI, especially after his public criticism of Conte.
“We have around 15 games to play now and the focus is that,” Richarslison added. “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.”
As for Conte, his time North London looks to be heading to an end following their Champions League disappointment that will extend Tottenham's wait for a trophy to 15 consecutive seasons.
“I’m under contract at Tottenham, then we will decide at the end of the season with the club,” Conte said after Wednesday's match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
“My contract expires in June, we will see – they might sack me even before the end of the season. Perhaps the expectations were higher and they may be disappointed? What matters for a coach is trying to work and raise the bar. This year we are struggling to raise the bar.”
