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Tottenham assistant coach Cristian Stellini says there are no regrets about starting Harry Kane on the bench in Wednesday’s surprise FA Cup fifth-round defeat by Championship side Sheffield United.
Spurs made six changes for the game at Bramall Lane, with Son Heung-min, Richarlison and Lucas Moura in attack as Kane – the club’s all-time top scorer – was named among the substitutes.
The Premier League side went into the fixture on the back of a 2-0 win against Chelsea that strengthened their top-four hopes, but produced a lethargic display before Iliman Ndiaye produced a moment of magic for the Blades with a clinical near-post finish to secure the 1-0 win late on.
Defeat leaves Tottenham with the Champions League as their only hope of ending a 15-year trophy drought this season.
Stellini, standing in for Antonio Conte as the Italian continues to recuperate following gallbladder surgery, stood by the decision not to play Kane from the start against the Blades.
“It is not a regret,” he said. “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.”
Addressing the thousands of supporters who travelled to Sheffield, Stellini added: “I think we missed a big opportunity and we have to apologise to the fans.
“There were 5,000 of them here to watch our performance and we apologise because we missed a big opportunity.”
Chance of silverware gone?
Tottenham switch focus back to the Premier League with a trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday before they host AC Milan in the Champions League last 16 next Wednesday looking to overturn a 1-0 defeat in the first leg.
Spurs fans will certainly hope for a much-improved display in these games after their lethargic performance against Sheffield United, where they struggled to create big opportunities.
“It’s not about motivation,” said Stellini, when asked about Spurs’ performance against the Blades.
“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.”
Former Premier League striker Clinton Morrison, who was watching Tottenham’s game for BBC Radio 5 Live, believes Spurs have blown a big opportunity to win a trophy this season.
“Tottenham have got no chance of the Champions League – they need to concentrate on the top four,” he said.
“They might beat Milan, but this is a massive opportunity missed tonight.”
By Gary Rose
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