Jamie O’Hara has claimed that Antonio Conte simply doesn’t want to start Tottenham Hotspur duo Bryan Gil and Lucas Moura because he ‘doesn’t think they are good enough’, as he told talkSPORT.
The outspoken pundit stated that Conte was wrong to play eight defensive-minded players during Tottenham Hotspur’s comeback win against Bournemouth on Saturday, but he feels there is a ‘media agenda’ against the north London club.
Neither Moura nor Gil started that game, but they did come off the bench to help Spurs overturn a 2-0 deficit and record a much-needed three points.
A number of the big boys were rested, aside from Harry Kane and Son Heung-min, ahead of their potential knockout Champions League clash against Marseille on Tuesday night.
Moura started the 1-1 draw against Sporting Lisbon last week, whilst Gil has been coming off the bench and making a number of positive impacts.
But O’Hara feels the reason why Conte is playing so many defensive players is that he doesn’t want to start the likes of Gil or Moura.
“There is a media agenda around Tottenham,” said O’Hara. “For me, I think everyone is worried about what this club can actually do. Can we push on? Can we get in and amongst it and be successful? You have Conte who is a brilliant manager.
“The issue you have got is that everyone expects us to play like Manchester City and Barcelona. And we are just not that. We haven’t got them players. We are a defensive outfit. We started the game with eight defensive players. That I don’t agree with. Conte has got to change that.
“I don’t think he’s confident in the bench, in terms of starting them, like Lucas Moura and Bryan Gil. I don’t think he wants to start these players because he doesn’t think they are good enough, so he goes with that defensive look.
“We only had Harry Kane and Son who are really our attacking players. In the first half, we were a disgrace. We are a joke, then we change it in the second half, on the front foot, the shackles are off and we are brilliant.”
GIL DESERVES A RUN IN THE XI
It has been a tough gig in north London for Gil since joining the club last summer when Nuno Espirito Santo was in charge.
The Spain international just couldn’t get going, and when Conte arrived, he was shipped out on loan to Valencia.
The 21-year-old posted a cryptic message on his social accounts when a deadline day move to Valencia didn’t transpire, but it seems as though he is now starting to find his feet, it’s just a case of earning those regular starts.
With Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski sidelined, then Conte should trust playing the all-action winger against Marseille tomorrow night.
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