Richarlison accused Tottenham of underplaying after a painful Champions League exit at Milan, blaming his inaction for a “crap” season.
A goalless draw at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday saw the Spurs lose 1-0 on aggregate in the Round of 16.
Brazil striker Richarlison came on as a substitute in the 70th minute but was unable to help the hosts make the breakthrough. He has only managed two club goals this season despite starting in 12 matches and coming on as a substitute 13 times.
The former Everton and Watford player claims promises were broken along the way and hinted at disappointment with head coach Antonio Conte.
Frankly, he said: “There is disappointment, of course. We are outside the biggest club competition. We can’t play like that, we have to score. The team had to play more aggressively, especially in the second half.
“Now there is nothing to say, we cannot chase after someone to take the blame. Now it remains to play only the Premier League, tomorrow training and a match against [Nottingham] Forest in the next round.
“I played well, we beat Chelsea and West Ham and all of a sudden I was on the bench. I played against Wolverhampton for five minutes, asked what the reason was, and no one told me why.
Richarlison said he was told he would play against AC Milan if he passed a fitness test on Tuesday, but then ended up on the bench.
“There are things I can’t understand. There was no explanation again,” he said. “We’ll see what he tells us tomorrow, but I’m not stupid, I’m a professional who works hard every day and I want to play. I wasn’t given enough minutes.
“This season, pardon my language, has been shitty. I don’t have enough minutes, I was a little injured, but when I’m on the field, I give my life.
“I played well in two matches, especially against Chelsea, so I think I should have played tonight, but I can’t keep crying about it now.
“Right now we have about 15 games and we are focused on that. I will try to score as many goals as possible because the club paid a lot of money for me and I haven’t given enough on the pitch yet.”
It remains to be seen what the aftermath of his Wednesday night outburst will be, and whether his display of passion will help or dampen his case so he turns on more often.
Tottenham have the likes of Harry Kane, Son Heung Min, Dejan Kuluszewski and Ivan Perisic aiming for attacking spots and Conte can’t include them all and Richarlison.
However, Spurs, who were knocked out of the FA Cup last week by second tier Sheffield United, failed to score in three straight matches for the first time between April and May 2019.
Perhaps it’s time to start with the 25-year-old Richarlison, who said of the difficulties of his season: “It’s fair to say my injuries didn’t help and I didn’t have enough minutes. Now I’m going to go home, rest, practice tomorrow and see if he puts me in the top 11 in the next game.”
