Former Arsenal manager Arsène Wenger gave his play-off verdict on Tottenham, insisting the club don’t have enough quality despite investing “a lot of money”.
Tottenham lost 1-0 to AC Milan in the first round of their Champions League Last 16 clashes Tuesday night with Brahim Diaz’s goal the difference on the night.
If they are lucky enough to turn things around in the second leg on March 8, it will be their second defeat in four days after a heavy 4-1 loss to Leicester city SATURDAY.
Spurs currently sit fifth in the Premier League table, two points behind fourth-place Newcastle United and seven behind third-place Manchester United.
And while welcoming Antonio Conte’s commitment to the cause in north London, Wenger believes arch-rivals Arsenal are sorely lacking in key areas despite some strong additions in recent transfer windows.
“I’m not questioning Conte’s commitment because he’s been to England, he’s been to Italy and he’s come back to England.” He is professional and committed,’ Wenger told beIN Sport.
‘Tottenham for me is an unconvincing team, they don’t have enough quality players.
“They’ve invested a lot of money but Tottenham in the Premier League have lost eight games in 23. They’ve just come from a 4-1 loss to Leicester, while Leicester aren’t a particularly strong side.
“Overall I think this team lacks pace, they have a mono-rhythm and they don’t change pace enough and physically can’t compete at the top level at the moment.”
“But the Premier League is still the premier league and they can play against the best teams in Europe.”
With Spurs suffering a narrow defeat in Italy, Conte is hopeful of his side’s chances of turning the tide in north London.
“For qualification you have to play two games,” said the Tottenham boss.
“It’s the first away game and the atmosphere was fantastic. I know the San Siro and I know the difficulty of playing with that atmosphere. In the second game we have to play in our stadium and our fans will create the atmosphere to help us overcome the Milan obstacle.
MORE : Brahim Diaz goal gives Milan first leg win over Tottenham in Champions League
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