Wed 09 November 2022, 23:55
Tottenham HotspurAntonio Conte said he couldn’t fault the players for their attitude and commitment as we tumbled out of the Carabao Cup with a 2-0 loss at Nottingham Forest on Wednesday night.
Second half goals from Renan Lodi and Jesse Lingard on 50 and 57 minutes were enough for the home side in this third round tie. We had our moments - Wayne Hennessey kept out Matt Doherty’s rasper in the first half, then tipped over Djed Spence’s header as we chased the game at 2-0 down. Richarlison returned to action off the bench and had a goal chalked off for offside but, in truth, Forest created the better chances, and it took a number of fine saves from debutant Fraser Forster to keep them at bay.
For sure, there is big disappointment for the result, the loss... but the commitment and the desire to do well, I can’t complain
Speaking to SPURSPLAY at The City Ground, Antonio reflected: “For sure, there is big disappointment for the result, the loss. The positive thing tonight was to see Richarlison again and Deki. I think they are ready for the game on Saturday against Leeds. This is good news for us.
“It’s very difficult to say something wrong, because the commitment was high, but we are at our 12th game (since 1 October) and, honestly, some players are really tired this moment.
“I tried to manage the situation in midfield, with Pierre and Bentancur to split the halves (Pierre played the first, Rodrigo the second), also Harry Kane, he gave me the availability to play this morning, because he was really tired.
“When you play so many games in such a short period of time it’s very difficult. For sure, maybe Nottingham Forest had more energy than us, but this can’t be a fault of my players, because about the commitment and the desire to do well, I can’t complain. Also, we spent a lot of energy, mentally and physically, against Liverpool.
“I repeat, we are at the end of a cycle that was really difficult, with many injuries, many players tired now and we need to rest and recover well because on Saturday, we have to be strong, together, me, the staff, the players on the pitch and in the stadium, because if we get a win, we finish this period in a good position, with our qualification in the Champions League and we can stay in the top four. If you ask me about another competition, maybe it was too much for us at this moment.”
