Conte sent clear Mauricio Pochettino message as Tottenham crash out of Europe
The Tottenham faithful made their feelings towards manager Antonio Conte crystal clear at full-time as they were dumped out of the Champions League by AC Milan.
The Italian giants made the trip to North London boasting a slender 1-0 advantage from the first leg at San Siro and may have expected to put under the cosh from the first whistle at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium for the second leg. However, what played out was far from what many expected.
Spurs barely laid a glove on their visitors, bar a late Harry Kane header that was palmed away by Milan goalkeeper Mike Maignan. That chance itself only produced a better one for Milan, who hit the hosts on the counter and could have ended the tie as a contest there and then had Divock Origi not struck the upright.
Following the full-time whistle, jeers rang out around the stadium while certain sections of the home crowd chanted the name of former manager Mauricio Pochettino.
In what was a clear sign of discontent and ill-feeling towards current boss Conte, the cries for their old manager will surely only heap more pressure on the Italian at the helm as speculation surrounding his future continues to grow.
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Spurs came in for some brutal reviews from a number of different pundits, while former player Jermaine Jenas labelled the sorry display "an absolute disaster of an evening for Tottenham", while on commentary duty for BT Sport.
Antonio Conte cut a miserable figure on the touchline as Spurs crashed out of the Champions LeagueHAVE YOUR SAY! Will Conte still be the Spurs manager at the end of the season? Comment below
Rio Ferdinand described the performance as "a bit Spursy" while insisting it is a case of the 'same old story' for Spurs as their hopes of silverware have been dashed for another season.
Having been eliminated from the FA Cup last week after a 1-0 defeat by Sheffield United, this round-of-16 clash against Milan presented their last chance of ending their 15-year wait for a trophy.
That wait will now continue as attention for the rest of the season turns to trying to finish inside the top four and qualifying for the competition next season.
Though it must be said, ex-Spurs striker Peter Crouch actually questioned why the club are even bothering in that pursuit.
"What is the point of getting top four if you're going to perform like this in the Champions League? I get there are financial aspects to it," he explained.
"You're going for top four, but what for? They haven't performed in any game I've seen here in the Champions League."
Two blunt attacking displays against Milan in both legs means Spurs' wait for a Champions League knockout goal continues, dating all the way back to their memorable 3-2 win over Ajax during the 2018/19 season when they were then managed by...Pochettino.
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