Richarlison gave an honest interview to Brazilian media in the immediate aftermath of Tottenham Hotspur’s exit from the Champions League – and now, Antonio Conte has responded to those comments, saying they were “selfish”.
The 25-year-old Brazilian used an expletive to describe his season at Tottenham so far. He also said he could not understand why he had been taken out of the starting line-up for Wolves and Milan – after West Ham and Chelsea.
Some agreed with Richarlison, some disagreed. It is fair to say he did not have his best game in the FA Cup defeat to Sheffield United – which came after wins over West Ham and Chelsea, in which he started over Son Heung-min.
Conte was asked about Richarlison’s interview with TNT Sports. He said he watched the interview and agreed with Richarlison in that he’s struggled. He claims Richarlison has apologised for being “selfish” and talking about himself.
“He said his season was (swears) and he’s right. His season has been not good. He had injuries. His season has not finished yet. If he deserves to play I’ll give him the opportunity. For the rest of the interview, he made a mistake.
“When you speak of ‘I’ and not ‘us’ you are being selfish. He made a mistake and he apologised. It was good for me to clarify with the team about this. This aspect we have to improve. Sometimes it’s not enough to be a good guy.”
Antonio Conte responds to Richarlison comments, says they were selfish
Yes, Richarlison is speaking only about himself in his comments. But if it is true that he was told – more or less – he would be starting against Milan, to find out Son has come in, it is understandable to be angry. It is also a good sign.
If Richarlison rolled over and was absolutely fine with being benched for the Milan game, it would have been wrong. While a public interview might not have been the best place, showing anger and fight can only be a positive thing.
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