Football: Antonio Conte searching for Spurs ‘belief’ after Milan defeat
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AC Milan's Spanish midfielder Brahim Diaz (centre) celebrates with defender Theo Hernandez after opening the scoring.
PHOTO: AFP
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MILAN – Antonio Conte said he needs his Tottenham Hotspur players to start believing in themselves after they fell to a 1-0 away defeat by AC Milan on Tuesday, which put their Champions League campaign at risk.
Spurs barely created anything at the San Siro, and after the defeat in the first leg of the last-16 clash and the weekend’s heavy 4-1 loss to Leicester City in the English Premier League, Conte said it was his job to give his players more confidence.
“I think some players need some more belief, especially in attack. We need to rediscover that belief we have lost in taking on your man, but there was great effort and desire,” the Tottenham manager said.
“My job is to give players belief in themselves... we definitely need to try and improve.”
Conte has had to deal with serious injuries to Rodrigo Bentancur and Yves Bissouma, which led to him having to pick youngsters Oliver Skipp and Pape Matar Sarr in midfield.
The Italian said the pair’s performances gave him hope as he will have to do without Bentancur for the rest of the season while Bissouma needs an operation on a stress fracture to his ankle.
“To play this way in the Champions League and in San Siro in this atmosphere... they played a really good game, I’m really happy,” he added.
“I know I can count on these two players 100 per cent.”
Former Spurs and England midfielder Jermaine Jenas agreed, saying on BT Sport: “They were the positives that came out of tonight. I thought Sarr in particular, his passing, how aggressive he was.
“Skipp being his first Champions League experience and such a huge stage in the knockout phase.”
Brahim Diaz bundled in the only goal of the game in the seventh minute at a packed San Siro to give Milan the advantage before the second leg in London on March 9.
The Spaniard’s strike was the first and one of very few real chances in a scrappy game, which highlighted the far from sparkling form of both teams heading into the match.
Spurs failed to supply their record scorer Harry Kane with any service and Milan had great chances in quick succession late in the second half to extend their lead, but these were fluffed by Charles de Ketelaere and Malick Thiaw.
Diaz scores for AC Milan, past Tottenham Hotspur’s Fraser Forster.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Despite the victory, Milan coach Stefano Pioli was left to ponder on what might have been.
The seven-time European champions will now have to defend a single-goal lead in London, which gives them a chance of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals for the first time since 2012.
“Winning 2-0 would have been a better result, because we’ll have an equally difficult match in London if not more so, but I can only be satisfied about the team’s performance,” said Pioli.
Separately, Iranian-American billionaire Jahm Najafi, chairman of MSP Sports Capital, is set to launch a US$3.75 billion (S$5 billion) takeover bid for Tottenham, the Financial Times reported on Wednesday, citing two people with direct knowledge of the plans.
MSP Sports Capital is working with a consortium of investors to structure the bid, the report said, adding that it is weeks away from formally approaching Spurs owner Joe Lewis and the club chairman Daniel Levy. AFP
