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Richarlison did not hold back in his assessment of Tottenham's recent struggles and has questioned the decision to bench him in recent games.
Richarlison has taken a brutal dig at his coach and under-fire Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte.
The Brazilian striker has questioned his Spurs coach for not starting him on Wednesday evening, March 8 after Spurs were knocked out of the Champions League with a goalless draw against AC Milan.
The Lilwhites fell to a 1-0 defeat in the reverse fixture at the San Siro last month, but a draw in the return was enough to see the North Londoners make their way out of the competition.
However, after the game, Spurs forward Richarlison questioned Antonio Conte in an interview, for deciding to drop him in the crucial clash with the Scudetto champions following victories over their London rivals West Ham and Chelsea in the Premier League.
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Richarlison calls out Antonio Conte for benching him following Champions League exit
Richarlison was speaking after the post-match interview to reporters, and expressed his displeasure with his coach following Spurs’ exit from the Champions League round of 16 stages.
‘I didn’t understand – I was playing well, we won against Chelsea and West Ham and suddenly I was on the bench.
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‘I played five minutes against Wolves, asked the reason and no one told me why,’ The Brazilian said.
‘They asked me to take a fitness test in the gym and told me I was going to start if I passed it.
‘And I was on the bench, there are things I can’t understand. There was no explanation again, let’s see what he (Conte) will tell us but I’m not silly – I’m a professional that works hard every day and I want to play.’ he added.
'Let's see what he (Conte) will say tomorrow, but there are no fools here either, I'm a professional, I work every day and I want to play. There are minutes left, time left.
'I suffered a little with the injury. But, when I enter the field, I give my life. I came from two games well, I think that's it, I think I should have played and I don't have to cry about it.'
Richarlison frustrated with lack of game time, admits Spurs have had a sh** season
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The 25-year-old Brazil international also stressed his displeasure with the amount of playing time he has been afforded this season while admitting the Lilywhites’ season has been nothing short of terrible.
‘There hasn’t been enough minutes given to me. This season – and forgive my language – has been sh*t,’ Richarlison said.
'That's what I didn't understand, too (being a substitute). It was going well, in a good sequence, two wins against West Ham and Chelsea.
'I suffered a little with the injury. But, when I enter the field, I give my life. I came from two games well, I think that's it, I think I should have played and I don't have to cry about it.'
‘We have 12 games to play now and the focus is that. I’ll try to score as many goals as I can because the club has paid a lot of money for me and I haven’t given enough back on the pitch yet,’ he added.
Richarlison has found life tough in North London since his move from Merseyside.
The former Watford striker joined Tottenham from Everton last summer for £60m, and has netted just twice all campaign.
However, he did not also hold back in his assessment of his team’s performance on Wednesday night against Milan.
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‘There is frustration of course – we’re out of the biggest club competition. We can’t play like that needing to score – the team had to play more offensively, especially in the second half.
‘There’s not a lot to say now – we can’t go chasing someone to take the blame. Now there’s only the Premier League to play,’ Richarlison said.
Meanwhile, Spurs look set for yet another season without silverware.
The last time the North Londoners won a trophy was in 2008 and according to reports, the club could end up being sold following strong interest from foreign investors.
Spurs host Nottingham Forest at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium on Saturday, March 11, with the top four race picking up the pace and Liverpool closing down on the North Londoners.
A win for Antonio Conte’s men on Saturday will certainly help their team's chances in the race for Champions League football, especially as fifth-placed Liverpool seem to have found form lately, having taught Manchester United a brutal lesson last weekend.
Spurs are currently ahead of Liverpool on the summit with three points and the Lilywhites know they cannot afford any more slip-ups at this stage.
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