You said beforehand that you would pick the right players for this game, are you disappointed with the players you selected?
I think the team we chose to play the game was fine. We used a good team to play this game against this type of opponent. The problem was the energy. When the energy is not at the same level as your opponent sometimes you an lose. We had the opportunity to score but we never found the target. Every time we shot out of the target. If we want to score we have to find the target. This was the problem for the me. The problem was the energy we have to use in this type of game.
Why was there a lack of energy?
I'm disappointed for that because our players are fitting in well. We used different player but our players have to show on the pitch the reality. The reality has to be different if we want to win. We cannot use the same team every game. We need to give responsibility to everyone. Today I'm disappointed not for the effort, not for the players we choose but for the energy. We need to stay at the same level to be consistent.
READ MORE: Tottenham player ratings vs Sheffield United: Richarlison, Sanchez and Lucas struggle in FA Cup
Was there a motivation problem?
It's not about motivation. I don't think it's about motivation. It's about maybe if you don't play consistently, maybe sometimes you try to manage the energy to arrive at the end of the game. Or you drop the energy from the start because you think the game is easy. Our games are never easy. We need to be more consistent, this is about mentality.
Do you regret not starting Harry Kane?
It is not a regret. We need to look in the medium period, we have many games. Harry Kane played in the last six games, one time with fever, one time with a problem, we have to take care of our best player. It’s not about Harry because we played with Richarlison, Lucas Moura and Sonny. I think it is good enough to play in this competition and against this sort of team.
Is he still carrying an injury?
He was ill one week ago and he didn’t train on some days because he was very ill. After he played a game with a fever he was very ill, so he didn’t. For that reason we decided to keep him on the bench and maybe play a part of the match. A player like this also needs to work not only to play.
He was ill against Fulham in January, is this a more recent problem?
Yeah, yeah, recently. It was a throat problem.
Have you spoken to Antonio yet after the game?
Not yet because I came here immediately straight after the match so I haven't spoken to him.
You must see this as a big opportunity missed?
I think we missed a big opportunity and we have to apologise to the fans. Today there were 5,000 of them here to watch our performance and we apologise because we missed a big opportunity.
How difficult will it be to refocus the players' minds on the race for the top four?
When you have a different performance. The last two or three performances were really high intensity but when you have this type of performance I hope it will be easy to explain to the players what we need to do.
Normally our team react after a game like this. It's not the first time it happened and we have to react immediately. Saturday we have an important game and Wednesday another one and we continue.
It was Lucas Moura's first start since November, how important was it for him to get minutes?
We need Lucas like all the players. We thought this was the right moment to use Lucas from the start. His effort was good. The effort from our team every time is good and we can't be disappointed about this. It's about the energy and the mentality and how we are focused on the win during the game.
READ NEXT:
Tottenham's summer goalkeeper transfer shortlist revealed with Hugo Lloris future to be decided
- Daniel Levy admits transfer mistakes as Tottenham reveal financial results
- Spurs provide latest update on new hotel and homes at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium complex
- Tottenham's £150m ENIC capital increase explained, how much has been taken and what happens next
- Antonio Conte sending hints about his Tottenham future, chaos in Milan and Spurs' stability woes
