Richarlison’s assessment of his debut season at Tottenham was right in Antonio Conte’s eyes.
The Brazilian striker made a splash after Spurs were eliminated from the Champions League by AC Milan, describing the campaign as “crap”.
Richarlison, who has yet to score for a north London side in the Premier League, is also seen to have cast doubt on Conte’s leadership amid growing pressure on the Italian.
However, the Tottenham boss does not think so, believing that the comments were not direct criticism of him, but agreeing with Richarlison’s views on his campaign.
However, he also believes that the former Everton player made the mistake of referring to himself and not the team as a team.
“He didn’t criticize me. He said his season was shitty and he’s right. His season was not very good,” he said at a press conference.
“He had injuries, he played and scored in the Champions League, then he went to the World Cup, and then he got seriously injured. He didn’t score a single goal for us.
147 – Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 AC Milan broke a streak of 147 consecutive home games without a goalless draw in all competitions since 0-0 against Swansea at Wembley in the Premier League in September 2017 (5 years and 173 days ago). Grey. pic.twitter.com/pnRC5R64kn
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) March 8, 2023
“I think he was really being honest when he said his season wasn’t good. His season is not over yet. If he deserves to play, I will give him the opportunity.
“For the rest of the interview, I think he made a mistake. When you say “I” and not “us”, you are being selfish. I tell my players that if we want to build something important and win a trophy, we have to talk to “we” and not to “I” because otherwise you think of yourself.
“He made a mistake and apologized, and it was useful for me to clarify this again with the team. In this aspect, we must improve. We need to be more of a team and show more positivity, especially in the negative moments.”
