Tottenham Hotspur attacker Richarlison was left frustrated with manager Antonio Conte’s decision to leave him on the bench against AC Milan.
Tottenham Hotspur were held to a goalless draw against AC Milan in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League knockout rounds. And Richarlison has now slammed the manager’s decision after the game.
The 25-year-old Brazilian international joined Tottenham Hotspur for a fee of around £60 million during the summer transfer window. And he was expected to be a key player for the north London club this season. Instead, he has found it difficult to hold down a regular starting spot under Conte. And the player is clearly disappointed because of that.
Richarlison has revealed that Antonio Conte’s decisions have been difficult to understand. And he will try to find out why the Italian has chosen to leave him on the bench for an important game. He came on during the final quarter of the game against Milan and failed to make an impact.
He told TNT Sports, “That’s what I didn’t understand, too (being a substitute). It was going well, in a good sequence, two wins against West Ham and Chelsea. Suddenly, he (Cristian Stellini) put me on the bench, against Wolverhampton he put me on for five minutes. I asked why? They didn’t tell me anything. And, yesterday, they asked me to take a test at the gym, that if I was good I would go to the game and, at the time of the game, they left me on the bench. These are things that it is not possible to understand.”
“Let’s see what he (Conte) will say tomorrow, but there are no fools here either, I’m a professional, I work every day and I want to play. There are minutes left, time left. This season, excuse the word, it’s been ****, because I don’t have minutes, I suffered a little with the injury. But, when I enter the field, I give my life. I came from two games well, I think that’s it, I think I should have played and I don’t have to cry about it.”
The Brazilian was highly impressive for his country during the 2022 FIFA World Cup, and he scored some vital goals for brazil. He would have expected to start regularly alongside Harry Kane this season. It remains to be seen whether Conte is prepared to give him more opportunities in the coming weeks.
Richarlison’s move to question the manager’s decision publicly could infuriate the Italian as well. It remains to be seen how the situation develops. Tottenham have paid a significant amount of money for him and will hope that the 25-year-old can regain his form and confidence soon.
The north Londoners have suffered in the attack this season because of the poor form of Son Heung-min. And the fact that Richarlison has not been able to hit the ground running has worsened matters. The goalscoring burden is on Kane right now, and the English striker clearly needs some help.
