While the future of Tottenham remains uncertain, one thing is for sure: the North London heavyweights are in crisis.
Spurs have crashed out of three competitions this season: the Carabao Cup, FA Cup, and — most recently — the UEFA Champions League. Their goalless draw with AC Milan on Wednesday ensured their exit from Europe, with the Premier League heavyweights losing 1-0 on aggregate.
And to make things worse, Richarlison went on a foul-mouthed rant in his post-match interview, labeling this season as "s**t" while slamming the manager for his lack of playing time.
"It was going well, in a good sequence, two wins against West Ham and Chelsea," he told TNT Sports Brazil. "Suddenly, he put me on the bench, against Wolverhampton he put me on for five minutes. I asked why, but 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 will say tomorrow, but there are no fools here either, I'm a professional, I work every day and I want to play."
And on Friday, Antonio Conte, whose future is under tremendous doubt, sat with the media for his press conference for Tottenham's upcoming clash with Nottingham Forest. When asked about Richarlison's comments, the fiery Italian did not shy away from publicly hitting back at his player.
He labeled the former Everton ace as "selfish" for focusing on his minutes on the pitch over the greater good. Additionally, the former Juventus boss pointed to Richarlison's injury issues this campaign and his struggles in front of goal, as Richarlison is yet to score for his new team in the Premier League.
"First of all, I watched the interview of Richarlison. He didn't criticize me," Conte said at his press conference on Friday. "He said his season was s***, and he's right. His season has been not good.
"He had injuries, played and scored in the Champions League, and then went to the World Cup and then had a serious injury. He's scored no goals for us. I think he was really honest to say his season was not good. His season has not finished yet. If he deserves to play, I'll give him the opportunity."
"For the rest of the interview, I think he (Richarlison) made a mistake," Spurs' manager continued. "When you speak of 'I' and not 'us', you are being selfish.
"I say to my players, 'if we want to build something important and win a trophy, we have to speak with 'we' not with 'I'' because otherwise, you're thinking of yourself.
"He made a mistake and he apologized and it was good for me to clarify with the team again about this. In this aspect, we have to improve. We have to be more of a team and show more spirit positive, especially in negative moments."
"I watched the interview of Richarlison, he didn't criticise me. He said my season is s*** and he's right. His season is not good because he had a lot of injuries. If he deserves to play I'll give him the opportunity."
— Football Daily (@footballdaily) March 10, 2023
Antonio Conte on Richarlison's interview. pic.twitter.com/Ycq1ZDJN3M
As mentioned earlier, it remains unclear whether Conte will stay past the current season. The Italian's contract runs out this summer, with all fingers pointing to an exit at the end of this season.
According to Sky Sports, the North London heavyweights have already drawn up a list of potential replacements for this likelihood. Former boss Mauricio Pochettino is on this list but Daniel Levy and Co. aren't as hungry for a reunion with the Argentine as the fans are.
Elsewhere, Roberto de Zerbi, Luis Enrique, Thomas Tuchel, Frank Thomas, and Marco Silva all being looked at, with Enrique said to be high up on this list were Conte to depart.
