Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino refused to answer questions about Danny Rose's absence for defeat at Arsenal.
The 27-year-old had played 90 minutes in Spurs' last Premier League game, a 1-0 win against Crystal Palace, but his manager insisted that he could not understand why he was having to field questions about Rose's participation in the derby.
“He was training today," Pochettino said. “Like [Erik] Lamela, after nearly one year, they need to build their fitness no?
“It's strange when a player that is fit and plays regularly is out, but when you have been out for 10 or 11 months out and then you start to play, sometimes the decision is it's better to train and prepare for the next game rather than be on the bench and perhaps not play and waste time.
“It's not the same when you need to prepare for a game, with training. Sometimes they need different types of training to get fit and build their fitness. That is what happened with him."
Asked whether Rose had been disappointed by the decision to leave him out of the match squad, Pochettino said: “Why? Why? Why would he react badly? For what?
“Like Lamela was playing with the U23s. What happened?
“We need to focus on the game today. I am so disappointed about the game. I don't understand your question, sorry."