Antonio Conte believes Tottenham have taken "a step forward" this season, despite their final chance of silverware being ended by Milan on Wednesday.
Spurs were unable to overturn a 1-0 deficit from last month's Champions League last-16 first leg as they played out a 0-0 draw in the return fixture at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Despite knowing they needed a goal to stay in the tie, Spurs failed to muster a single attempt on target in the first half and only seriously troubled Mike Maignan once all game.
The Milan goalkeeper produced a fine save to keep out Harry Kane's late header, which came after Cristian Romero was sent off for two bookable offences.
It means Tottenham's wait for a trophy of any sort will stretch into a 16th year, with a top-four battle in the Premier League all they have to fight for this campaign.
But after failing to qualify for the Champions League in the past two seasons, and struggling in the Europa Conference League last year, Conte is focusing on the positives.
"If I have to see a positive situation, it's that we had a step forward," he told BT Sport. "We played in the Conference League last year and weren't able to get out of the group.
"Now we took a step forward but it is not enough and if we want to be competitive, we have to fight."
Spurs, eliminated from the FA Cup by second-tier Sheffield United last week, have failed to net in three straight games for the first time since between April and May 2019.
They finished with an expected goals (xG) value of 0.45 in their second leg against Milan, compared to 1.4 for their opponents.
"That is the third game in a row that we were not able to score," Conte said. "I think the game was in the balance. I think we can do much better offensively.
"I speak about the whole team, not only those who play in the front half of the field. We can do much better.
"I can't tell anything negative about the commitment of the players. They gave everything from the start to the end."
Wednesday marked the first time Tottenham have been held to a goalless draw at home in any competition since doing so against Swansea City in September 2017, a run spanning 147 games.
Tottenham, bar Kane's late header, failed to offer any sort of attacking threat and were booed off both at half-time and full-time by their supporters.
"In our mind we wanted to put pressure on them with intensity, but in the first half we found it difficult offensively," Conte said of Spurs' tentative approach.
"We found space to receive the ball and create one-v-ones, but we struggled. We felt a bit of pressure. I think they need to play regularly this type of game to try to improve.
"I think everybody wants to go to the next round. In the first game we lost a good chance. Milan were without important players then, like us.
"We have to continue to work. We have another game that we have to recover for. We have to try to reach the best possible position at the end of the season."
Spurs return to action on Saturday with a home match against Forest in the Premier League, before travelling to Southampton in their final game before the international break.
Sessegnon rejoins boyhood club Fulham after Tottenham departure
Ryan Sessegnon has resigned for Fulham on a free transfer, five years after leaving the club.
The 24-year-old signed a two-year contract with the Cottagers with the option to extend for a further year following his departure from Tottenham last month.
In his first spell at the club, Sessegnon worked his way through the academy over 11 years, scoring 25 goals in 120 first-team appearances.
He then moved to Spurs in a £25million deal in 2019, though struggled to nail down a place in North London, making just 57 appearances in all competitions, and scoring three goals.
"It's amazing to be back. Emotional, as well," he told FFCtv. "It's where it started for me, where everything began, and it's amazing to be back.
"It will always be home for me. I think it had the feeling that it was meant to be, coming back here, so I'm delighted to get it done."
Sessegnon is Fulham's first signing of the transfer window, though they have seen plenty of first-team departures already, with Joao Palhinha, Tosin Adarabioyo and Bobby De Cordova-Reid all leaving the club.
Postecoglou urges Tottenham fans to be patient amid transfer 'misinformation'
Ange Postecoglou has urged Tottenham fans to have patience when it comes to bringing new players in during the transfer window.
Spurs have signed just two new faces so far, with Archie Gray joining from Leeds United in a deal reportedly worth up to £40million, and Lucas Bergvall signing from Djurgardens.
Alongside the two 18-year-olds, Timo Werner has also been resigned on loan for the upcoming season. He enjoyed an impressive start after initially joining in January, as he contributed two goals and three assists, but his season was ended prematurely by injury.
While the Spurs faithful are keen for their club to bring more reinforcements, Postecoglou asked for their trust as the club works towards adding to the squad.
"At this time of year, it's pretty hard for supporters because they don't have all the information, and it's fair to say there's plenty of misinformation out there," he said in a press conference.
"We're working hard to bring players in, and it's a process that you sometimes have to be patient with. But in terms of what we set out to do, that's still the plan, and you have to stay disciplined with that.
"Sometimes the timings don’t work out, and it doesn’t happen as quickly as you want, and you don't get them [players] in at the right time, but I think it's really important you stay disciplined and not run off and chase other things.
"So, what we started with at the start of summer is still there, and I wouldn't want to put timelines on it. A lot of that is out of our control, and we just need to be patient.
"From where I sit, at the moment, we're still in that phase where what we identified is still what we're after."
Spurs will face Japanese side Vissel Kobe in their next pre-season match on Saturday.
Lindstrom joins Everton on loan from Napoli
Everton have completed the loan signing of Jesper Lindstrom from Napoli, the club confirmed on Friday.
Lindstrom will join the Toffees for the 2024-25 season with the deal including an option to make the move permanent at the end of the campaign.
The 24-year-old becomes the fourth addition at Goodison Park following the arrivals of Tim Iroegbunam, Iliman Ndiaye and Jack Harrison.
Lindstrom arrives after a difficult season with Napoli, playing just 416 minutes in 22 league appearances for the Serie A side.
The Denmark international arrived in Naples from Eintracht Frankfurt where he scored 14 goals in 80 appearances, helping the German side lift the Europa League in the 2021-22 season.
“I feel very good. It’s amazing to represent Everton," Lindstrom said in his first interview with the club.
"This is a big club, with big history, a good stadium and, as I’ve seen, very good facilities as well. I’m very, very happy to be here and I feel like this is a good fit.
“I actually heard of Everton’s interest a while ago – not only from now but previously. England is very similar to Denmark so I will feel at home quickly.
“I’ve spoken to the manager. It sounds as though he likes the way I play football and I can be a good fit for the team with my speed, so now I want to deliver."
The search for another attacking option out wide had been the priority at Everton, having seen Arnaut Danjuma return to Villarreal following the completion of his loan deal, and the sale of Lewis Dobbin to Aston Villa.
Everton managed 40 goals last season, the second worst in the Premier League ahead of Sheffield United (35), and Dyche believes Lindstrom has a lot to offer in the final third.
"Jesper is a player with very good ability who can operate in a number of different attacking roles, which will benefit us heading into the new season," said Dyche.
"He joins us with a range of different experiences. He is hungry and eager to succeed with us, and that's a strong starting point as we look to add more productivity to our attack."
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