Antonio Conte accused football's organisers of demonstrating a lack of care for players after Son Heung-min joined Tottenham's mounting injury list ahead of the World Cup.
Tottenham have the chance to move 13 points ahead of Liverpool in the Premier League table when they host the Reds on Sunday, but have been beset by fitness concerns in recent weeks.
With Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski already sidelined, Spurs suffered a huge blow on Tuesday when Son sustained a fracture around his left eye in their Champions League win at Marseille, throwing his chances of featuring in Qatar into doubt.
Defender Cristian Romero, meanwhile, has missed Tottenham's last two games with a calf problem, and will not be fit to return against Liverpool.
Speaking at Friday's pre-match news conference, Conte said the game's organisers were paying lip service to concerns over player welfare.
"It's better to start with a smile. We need to face this situation, we need to try to finish these three games in the best possible way," Conte said.
"We have these injuries; Richarlison is not available for the game, it's the same for Romero.
"About Romero, I can tell you if he has the possibility to play with one leg, he will play with one leg. I tell the fans that we have players really committed to the club.
"Maybe Romero has an injury because he wanted to take a risk, but for sure, many teams are having big injuries, because we are playing every three days.
"We are seeing this situation is impossible for the future. Many times, I hear about the welfare of the players, but [talking] is only a polite way of showing they care.
"They're not really worried about the welfare of the players if the schedule is this, if the most important thing is that the show must go on.
"In the future, I don't want to hear or speak about the welfare of the players, because this is not true."
Conte offered more positive updates on the conditions of Rodrigo Bentancur and Kulusevski – the latter having not featured since September after sustaining a hamstring injury – but Lucas Moura's participation against Liverpool appears uncertain.
"Bentancur is much better and was part of a training session," Conte said. "It was the same for Kulusevski, he had half a training session with us.
"The problem is Lucas Moura is having different phases with his pain. Today it was really bad, and they told me he was really worried about this. I asked him to try to be available."
Sunday's match will represent the first time Tottenham have hosted Liverpool while above them in the Premier League table since October 2017, when they posted a 4-1 win over the Reds.
That, however, remains Spurs' most recent league victory against Liverpool, who are unbeaten in the teams' nine subsequent meetings in the competition (W6 D3).
Quansah signs new long-term Liverpool deal
Jarell Quansah has signed a long-term contract at Liverpool.
The defender has been at the club since the age of five and enjoyed an impressive breakout season under Jurgen Klopp last season.
He made 33 appearances in all competitions under the German and netted his first goal for the club in the Europa League in December against Union Saint-Gilloise.
Among Liverpool players in the Premier League last campaign, he made the joint-third most blocks (eight) and won 22 of his 25 tackles in the competition.
So far under Arne Slot, he has made just two appearances, playing the first half of their top-flight opener against Ipswich Town and the EFL Cup match against West Ham.
"I couldn't be happier at this minute," the 21-year-old told Liverpool's website.
"I think the way the new manager has come in; his coaching style has definitely been a massive part of that and I think it is the best club in the world for me to develop at and become a better player.
"I think the players around me, who I'm looking to work hard off and listen to, I think they're the best in the position at the minute. So, like I said, there is probably no better place I could be."
Liverpool are also reportedly in talks with Ibrahima Konate over a new contract, while the futures of Virgil van Dijk, Mohamed Salah and Trent Alexander-Arnold, who are all in the final year of their contracts, are still yet to be sorted.
Injury forces Militao out of Brazil's World Cup qualifiers
Eder Militao will miss Brazil's upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Chile and Peru due to a thigh injury.
The defender, who also missed September's fixtures due to a leg injury, first felt some discomfort against Atletico Madrid on September 29.
Though he has featured for Real Madrid since, he flew out to Sao Paulo to undergo checks on the issue, where the national team confirmed the extent of the injury.
"[Militao] underwent tests this Sunday... which revealed a minor muscle injury in his left thigh that will prevent him from playing," the CBF said in a statement.
He is the second Madrid player to pull out of the Brazil squad, with Vinicius Junior also unfit to play after suffering a neck injury.
Brazil sit fifth in South America's qualification table after eight matches, with 10 points.
Slot's trust is reason for Liverpool form, says Gravenberch
Ryan Gravenberch has impressed with his performances for Liverpool so far this season, and he says it is a result of the trust shown to him by Arne Slot.
The midfielder joined Liverpool from Bayern Munich last September and made 26 Premier League appearances under Jurgen Klopp, but only started 12 of those games.
Gravenberch has played in all but one of the Reds' games in all competitions so far this season, only missing their EFL Cup win over West Ham, and has become an integral part of Slot's set-up in the deeper-lying midfield role.
The Dutchman has won possession 42 times, more than anyone in the team, and has also won the most duels (41) and made the second-most interceptions (12), only behind Virgil van Dijk (17).
Liverpool sit top of the Premier League going into the international break, with Slot making the best start of any Liverpool manager in the club's history, and Gravenberch credited the manager for his uptick in form.
"The coach gives me confidence and sets me up," Gravenberch told ESPN. "I just do my own thing. The things I did at Ajax, I do now.
"I discuss all kinds of things with him. It's mainly about football. We talked last season as well. I have a good bond with him, and I'm very happy he's here.
"We think in the same way. He likes football and building up from the back. That suits me super well too.
"I'm at a top club now, at Liverpool. I played a lot more last season than in the season before. That was my goal. This season my goal is to play even more than last season and I'm on my way."
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