Tottenham boss Antonio Conte says he couldn’t fault his players’ efforts after their 0-0 draw with AC Milan.
The result saw Milan knock Spurs out of the Champions League and reach the quarterfinals.
Conte said, “That is the third game in a row that we were not able to score. 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. 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. We finished the game with 10 men. But if I have to see a positive situation, it is that we had a step forward. We played in the Europa Conference League last year and weren’t able to get out of the group stages. Now we took a step forward but it is not enough and if we want to be competitive, we have to fight.
“For sure in our mind it was to put pressure on with intensity but in the first half we found it difficult offensively. We found space to receive the ball and create one-v-one 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 was without important players, 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.”
