Antonio Conte has issued a bleak warning to unhappy Tottenham fans and warned the club is still a long way from being able to compete for major trophies.
Spurs were booed off after they suffered a damaging 2-1 home defeat against Newcastle but Conte has told supporters to get real about the situation they are in.
Conte said the Tottenham squad is not strong enough to compete on two front in the Premier League and Champions League, and warned there is still a painful rebuild ahead.
In a message to fans, Conte said: “The fans have to understand that we are doing our best in every moment. Today the commitment was really high.
“In this moment we have to face a difficult situation for us, because when you don’t have three or four players in the squad then you are in trouble, you are in trouble.
“We have to face and manage very well this situation and overcome it together. This squad doesn’t allow to lose four players.
“The important teams, the title contenders… when you play every three days you need to have a deep, a strong squad with great quality. We have only just started our process.
“We are trying to improve our situation step-by-step but you need time and patience. This has to be clear for everybody. I want to be honest. With my experience, we are doing well but we need the time and patience.
“If we played one game every six or seven days, I think we could fight for something important. To play every three days, we have to continue to build our path and to have patience and don’t be too disappointed.
“If someone thinks we can invent the win and do a miracle, we need to continue to work. The commitment of the players today was really high but we have just started the process.
“If someone doesn’t want to listen it is not my problem. We have to continue to work and fingers crossed we don’t have many injuries. Many injuries can affect our season.”
