Tottenham boss Antonio Conte says there are a “lot of jobs to do” at the club after they were beaten by Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg.
Spurs lost 2-0 at Stamford Bridge thanks to Kai Havertz’s early effort and a Ben Davies own goal but were outplayed by Conte’s former club.
The Italian says the performance showed how far Tottenham are behind their London rivals.
“It is important for patience, for me also to have patience,” said Conte.
The Spurs boss added: “There is a lot of jobs to do, in this moment, it is very difficult to understand which part you take to improve because there is a lot of situations to improve.
“We need time, and patience. Everyone has to have patience, because Tottenham in the last years, the level has dropped a lot and now we have to fight to win every game.”
Conte is due to speak with chairman Daniel Levy about the club’s January targets but says “it is impossible to change the situation in one or two transfer markets”.
“We have to be humble, to understand the situation at the moment and continue to work to improve our players, then we will see,” he added on Sky Sports.
“It is not simple to say ‘go in the transfer market’. In January, it won’t be easy and now the most important thing is to be focused and work to improve.
“The results in the league were good, we reached the semi-final in the Carabao Cup and for Tottenham, at this moment, that is a good target.
“I am always very honest with my players. I like to tell the truth and with a good lie you don’t go anywhere. They showed to be a really good team, much better than us.
“We have to try to change this situation – slowly, slowly.”
Tottenham’s league form since Conte’s arrival has been good, winning five of their eight games and drawing the other three.
But they will need to overturn a two-goal deficit at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on Wednesday if they are to reach the League Cup final for a second successive season.
“Chelsea showed to be much better than us,” added Conte.
“If you compare the two teams there is not a comparison. We are talking about a team ready to win – today we have seen the difference between the two teams.
“But I know the situation, it is very clear in this moment there is an important gap. We have to try to fight to stay in the league in a good position, but if we think we are close, I think we are not in the right way.”
