Antonio Conte sympathised with his Tottenham players after they were eliminated from the EFL Cup by Nottingham Forest, citing tiredness in the run-up to the World Cup.
Despite playing 12 games since the beginning of October, Conte decided to make just four changes to the team that lost to Liverpool on Sunday, including starts for Eric Dier and Harry Kane, both ever presents this season.
The Italian blamed a lack of alternative options due to injuries as his team fell to a 2-0 loss at the City Ground thanks to goals from Renan Lodi and Jesse Lingard on Wednesday.
"The performance, I have to be honest, I think maybe tonight the energy was really poor for us" Spurs head coach Conte said.
"Don't forget that it was the 12th game in a really short period. The games that we played in the past, every game was really, really difficult and we lost a lot of mental energy and physical energy.
"I only say thanks to my players because there are players who are really tired. I have to manage the situation with [Pierre-Emile] Hojbjerg and [Rodrigo] Bentancur because they were tired.
"The same for Harry Kane. Until this morning we waited to see if he could start or not. He was the only [fit] striker so again, I can only say thanks to my players."
One positive for Spurs was that they did not go in behind at half-time, as they had done in their previous five games, but they also did not come out in the second half with much energy.
Lodi and Lingard's goals arrived in the first 12 minutes following the break, and even though Forest were reduced to 10 men when Orel Mangala was shown a second yellow card with 15 minutes remaining, Spurs could not find a response, having just two shots on target to the hosts' eight.
Debutant goalkeeper Fraser Forster made six saves to keep the score down, though Conte could at least call on the returning Richarlison from the bench, just a day after he was named in Brazil's World Cup squad.
"I have a group of players who are first men, and then good players," he added. "Another could be selfish to think to himself 'in a week I have to play the World Cup.'
"Instead, Harry Kane showed to be a really good man. Not only him though, the same for Bentancur, Perisic, and Dier is another player who has played a lot of games.
"We faced a situation that is really bad with the injuries. We arrived at the end in real difficulty. Now we have to try to rest and find energy."
Nashville SC v San Jose Earthquakes: ‘A win would change everything’ - Godoy
Anibal Godoy insists that Nashville are already looking at their game against San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday as a must-win.
Nashville have won just once in the MLS this season and sit in 14th place in the Eastern Conference after a run of four without a win.
The Earthquakes, meanwhile, are bottom of the Western Conference having lost eight of their matches and recording just one win.
Godoy is aware of how their poor start to the season could affect their playoff hopes later down the line but is confident that Nashville can turn things around.
He said: “For us, it's an important week. It's a day we have to win, or we'll start to feel the pressure from other teams as they start to separate in the table.
“This league is long but if we want to get to the playoff you have to win games early on, especially at home.”
Liverpool agree compensation deal for Slot
Liverpool and Feyenoord have reached an agreement in principle over a compensation deal for Arne Slot to become the Reds’ manager next season, according to widespread Dutch media reports.
The Dutchman is reportedly poised to take over from Jurgen Klopp, who announced in January that he would be leaving the club at the end of the campaign.
Slot led Feyenoord to their second Eredivisie title last season after taking over the club in 2021.
It is believed that he topped the list of Liverpool’s favoured candidates due to his attacking playing style and ability to develop players.
Former Liverpool midfielder, Xabi Alonso, who led Bayer Leverkusen to their first Bundesliga title, and Sporting CP’s Ruben Amorim were also reported contenders to take over from Klopp.
Slot had already confirmed his interest in managing in the Premier League, both earlier this week and previously when he was linked to Tottenham in 2023.
QPR 4-0 Leeds United: Shock loss for Farke's men seals Leicester's promotion
QPR thrashed Leeds United 4-0 in the Championship on Friday, ensuring Leicester City booked their promotion straight back to the Premier League.
Ilias Chair was the star for the Hoops as he scored the opener and assisted two more goals to ensure QPR will stay in the Championship for another season.
Lucas Andersen, Lyndon Dykes and Sam Field also got their names on the scoresheet in an emphatic win for Marti Cifuentes' side.
Leeds' heaviest defeat of the season was a huge blow in the race for an automatic promotion spot, with Ipswich Town just one point behind them in third place with two games in hand going into their away clash against Hull City on Saturday.
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