Antonio Conte launched into a furious rant after his Inter Milan team threw away a two-goal lead to lose to Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.
The Nerazzuri manager criticised the depth of his squad and suggested the players at his disposal lack the strength of character and knowhow to win trophies.
And Conte believes the whole club ‘got it badly wrong’ when planning out the season.
Inter Milan coach Antonio Conte launched into a furious rant after their loss to Dortmund
Conte was livid after seeing his Inter side throw away a two-goal lead to lose in Dortmund
His angry comments come despite Inter sitting second in the Serie A table, just one point behind leaders Juventus, while they remain in contention to reach the knockout stages in Europe.
‘Apart from Diego Godin, these players haven’t won anything and lack experience,’ Conte told Sport Mediaset after the 3-2 loss at Signal Iduna Park.
‘We have too limited a squad to face both Serie A and Champions League football this season. I mean limited in terms of numbers and quality.
‘Some players have to be on the field constantly and in the long run, you do pay for that. I am furious because this cancels out the good work.’
Achraf Hakimi scored twice as Dortmund came back from two goals down to beat Inter
Left back Hakimi received a smart through-ball from Jadon Sancho and finished calmly
But despite expressing reservations about the numbers in his squad, former Chelsea manager Conte appeared to rule out acquisitions in the January transfer window.
He added: ‘I am not asking the club for anything, these are the players and we go into battle with these players.
‘The club will make its evaluations, I am just saying all of us got it badly wrong when planning for this season.
‘We are in an emergency situation with only three players injured, whereas other teams have injuries and don’t even notice. We notice.
‘We are talking about a group of players who, apart from Godin, haven’t won anything. It’s difficult then to deal with a tough situation.
‘Who do I call on? Nicolo Barella, who we signed from Cagliari? Or Stefano Sensi, who arrived from Sassuolo?
Lautaro Martinez and Matias Vecino fired Inter into a 2-0 first-half lead on Tuesday night
Martinez celebrates with teammates after scoring the opening goal in the fifth minute
Midfielder Matias Vecino doubled the lead for the visitors in the 40th minute
‘I will always thank the players for giving their heart and soul, and I know that I am asking for the kind of strain that some find it difficult to deal with.
‘We can’t let our current position in the table disguise the problems that are there.’
Goals from Lautaro Martinez and Matias Vecino put Inter in complete control in Dortmund in what was a pivotal Group F fixture.
But Achraf Hakimi scored twice, either side of a Julian Brandt equaliser, to put Dortmund in the stronger position to reach the knockout stages.
Conte was similarly spiky when interviewed by Sky Sport Italia afterwards: ‘It was the same thing that happened in Barcelona. In fact, this was worse as we had a two-goal advantage.
Vecino swept a low shot into the corner after good buildup work from Martinez and Candreva
Hakimi kick-started Dortmund’s comeback in the 51st minute with a clinical finish
The defender, on loan from Real Madrid, darted in from wide to knock in a cross by Mario Gotze
‘It’s disappointing, but what can I say? They tell me that I should smile more on television. I should always say the same things, the growth process, taking it step by step, so just ask me some questions and I’ll try to answer.
‘I don’t feel like even commenting on the second half, as there are too many alibis and I don’t want to create any more.
‘I just hope this type of match clarifies things for those who need to understand. It irritates me and I hope that this defeat irritates my players too.
‘We can do no more than to work and that’s what we’re doing. I am just fed up of saying the same things over and over, I hope a director comes here and says things instead.’
Inter return to league action with a home fixture against Verona on Saturday evening.
Dortmund seized on a defensive lapse to equalise through Julian Brandt in the 64th minute
Substitute Paco Alcacer used his first touch to intercept a throw-in and set up Brandt to score
Winger Jadon Sancho gave a thumbs up to fans despite limping off in the 82nd minute