Antonio Conte bizarrely described Tottenham as taking “a step forward” despite his side exiting the Champions League with a whimper after a dismal second-leg performance against AC Milan
Trailing by a goal from the first leg in Milan, Spurs barely fired a shot on home turf as a lifeless display saw them crash out of the competition with a goalless draw and guaranteed a 15th straight season without a trophy.
The defeat is also widely expected to seal Conte’s departure from the club, with his contract expiring at the end of the season and no real appetite from either side to renew. In fact, his exit may now come before the end of the current campaign with Spurs’ only remaining goal to try and finish in the top four of the Premier League.
However, after a performance against Milan that saw Cristian Romero sent off and Rossoneri goalkeeper Mike Maignan barely troubled, the Italian coach insisted that his team were heading in the right direction.
“That is the third game in a row that we were not able to score. I think the game was in the balance but we can do much better offensively,” Conte explained to BT Sport.
“I speak about the whole team, not only those who play in the front half. We can do much better.
“I can’t tell anything negative about the commitment of the players. In my opinion, they gave everything from the start to the end and we finished the game with 10 men.
“But if I have to see a positive situation, it is that we had a little step forward. Last season, we played in the Europa Conference League and weren’t able to get out of the group stages.
“Now we took a step forward but it is not enough and if we want to be competitive, we have to fight.”
Conte to discuss Spurs future at end of season | ‘Winning trophy would be a miracle’
Tottenham head coach Antonio Conte says he’ll discuss his future with the club at the end of the season and admits his team “don’t have the foundation to win” after being knocked out of the Champions League.
Antonio Conte said Tottenham need a “miracle” to start winning trophies© PA
Tottenham saw their hopes of lifting a trophy this season end as they were dumped out of the Champions League by AC Milan 1-0 on aggregate after a 0-0 draw in the second leg of the last-16 tie.
The full-time whistle was met by loud boos from the home supporters, who have not seen their side win a trophy for over 15 years and only have a top-four finish to play for this season.
Conte’s contract expires on June 30 with Spurs having an option to extend it by another year.
Download the Sky Sports app | Get Sky SportsTottenham 0-0 (agg: 0-1) AC Milan – Match reportHow the teams lined up | Match statsChampions League fixtures | Results
Sky in Italy reported in January that the club have already offered him a new deal, but the 53-year-old does not want to think about his future at the moment and has asked Spurs to put it on standby with no negotiations currently ongoing over a new contract.
Conte was appointed Tottenham boss in November 2021 and guided the club to a top-four finish last season ahead of Arsenal. But Spurs have endured an underwhelming season in the league so far as they sit fourth but have been wildly inconsistent with their performances.
After the defeat to AC Milan, he said: “This is not the right day to speak about my future. I have a contract with Tottenham and Tottenham know very well my thoughts. At the end of the season we meet and then make a decision.
“The situation is really clear. It’s one year and two months since I started, I always say the same thing, we need time and patience. At this moment we don’t have a solid foundation to be competitive and win. We try to work and get the right players to get the right foundation and try to find the solution in the transfer market for the right team.
“I have a great relationship with the chairman. I have a contract until June, I’m ready to work at Tottenham. At the end there will be a decision.”
He added: “I’m really sorry for the fans. We cannot invent the win or wait for a miracle one day for a trophy. You have to build and have patience. I understand the fans don’t have patience because for a long time Tottenham have not been winning. What I can promise is my team will work really hard for this club and try to improve.”
Antonio Conte gestures during the Champions League clash with AC Milan© Associated Press
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