Conte opens up on hopes to start Kulusevski and Richarlison vs Leeds
Yesterday’s defeat to Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup did have some positives to take away, with both Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison getting minutes on the pitch as they continue their recovery from injury. Speaking after the game, Antonio Conte revealed his hopes to start both players at the weekend, but only if they are […]
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Yesterday’s defeat to Nottingham Forest in the Carabao Cup did have some positives to take away, with both Dejan Kulusevski and Richarlison getting minutes on the pitch as they continue their recovery from injury.
Speaking after the game, Antonio Conte revealed his hopes to start both players at the weekend, but only if they are ready to do so.
(Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images )
Spurs succumbed to a lethargic 2-0 defeat at the City Ground, with newly-promoted Forest having the energy and drive to completely dominate their opponents on the night.
Second-half goals from Renan Lodi and Jesse Lingard were enough to see Forest through to the next round of the cup, while Spurs crashed out.
The second half did see Dejan Kulusevski return to the field after a successful cameo against Liverpool last weekend. Brazilian forward Richarlison also came on as a substitute against Forest, and looked lively despite failing to make a meaningful impact.
With Heung-min Son out injured (The Telegraph) and Harry Kane looking exhausted (Football.London), Conte will be hoping his other attacking options are ready to step up to the plate against Leeds United on Saturday afternoon.
Speaking to Football.London after the Carabao Cup tie, Conte said: “We faced a really bad situation with injuries and arrived at the end in real difficulty. Now we try to rest, to recover injury.
“Good news, I liked the way Richarlison came in and the effort he made showed he has recovered. The same for Deki and I hope to have them to start on Saturday.
“To pick them in the starting XI would be great for us, because it is Important game on Saturday. If we finished this cycle with qualification in the Champions League and a good position in the table it would be in my opinion really good.”
Spurs Web Opinion
As much as we really need to win against Leeds this weekend, I think you have to bench Harry Kane for the game. There is no point running him into the ground, when we could get Kulusevski and Richarlison to lead the line from the start and build their match sharpness. That way, you can always bring Kane on in the second half if things aren’t going to plan.
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