David Moyes has urged to players to make the most of every game in the remainder of 2023/24, with West Ham United chasing success at home and on the continent.
Following Tuesday night’s 1-1 home draw against London neighbours Tottenham Hotspur, the Hammers return to action at European qualification rivals Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
Managed by former Irons midfielder Gary O’Neil, Wolves go into the game just three points and four spots behind seventh-placed West Ham in the standings, and are sure to promise a stern test on home soil.
Moyes’ men should be full of confidence having comfortably beaten the West Midlanders 3-0 in the reverse fixture, while the return of Edson Álvarez from suspension has also provided a timely boost.
The first leg of the Club’s UEFA Europa League quarter-final tie against Bayer Leverkusen follows the Wolves game next Thursday, and Moyes is eyeing a good result at Molineux that he hopes can spark a strong run-in on all fronts.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference at Rush Green on Friday morning, Moyes reflected on recent showings, commented on target areas for improvement and shared his thoughts on the upcoming opposition…
Plenty to be positive about
We know it’s going to be a tough end to the season, and that there are a lot of good clubs around us, but if you had given me this at the start of the season I would’ve been happy.
We’ve been in the top eight or nine for most of the season, and we’re going to do our best in every game to try and retain that. It’s been the same in Europe – we won our group and have worked our way to the quarter-finals – so we just need to keep going.
We need to stay focused, take each game one at a time, and try to pick up results every time we go out on to the pitch. That’ll be the case at Wolves, for sure.
Adapting to every game
There are lots of different types of games in the Premier League, which I think is a good thing. Chelsea v Manchester United on Thursday night was entertaining in terms of goals, but I thought the 0-0 between Manchester City and Arsenal was very good as well.
Managers have to do what they think is right for the team, and that was the case against Tottenham on Tuesday. Sometimes decisions go for you, and sometimes they don’t, but you have to do what you think’s best and stick with it.
Starting on the front foot
We’ve conceded early in the last couple of games, but actually at the start of the season it was the other way round. In just about every game we were scoring early, and then finding the start of the second half difficult.
I think all teams go through different patches and trends throughout a season, but we will be aiming to start well against Wolves.
We’ve been trying to find the right balance between defence and attack. We’ve maybe not always had the attacking options we have now, and we want to let them flourish, so maybe that has sometimes meant that other parts of the team have been affected.
O’Neil has done a great job
Wolves have done brilliantly this year, and Gary O’Neil has done a great job.
He’s one of the younger managers in the Premier League, but he’s come in and steadied his team incredibly. I’ve been really impressed with his work, and I know it’s going to be a tough game on Saturday.
Welcoming back Edson
It’ll be great to have Edson Álvarez back in the squad, after his suspension. We’ve missed his presence, and he has had a big influence on the team here since he arrived.
I think he’s done really well, but maybe the intensity and speed of the Premier League has taken him a bit of time to get used to, and that’s the reason he’s picked up so many bookings. We don’t have a huge squad, so his suspension has had an impact on us.
I haven’t had a conversation with him [about his discipline]. I expect him to be experienced enough to understand he can’t go getting yellow cards every week. He’s wise enough and he doesn’t need me to tell him.
Jarrod’s impressive stats
Someone told me Jarrod Bowen’s now scored 19 goals in all competitions, and if he got to 20 that’d be great. In my head if he got to 20 Premier League goals that would be a brilliant achievement.
He’s someone who doesn’t always play as a No9 – he’s quite often been out wide – so his numbers show his capabilities. He’s got a lot of assists as well, and he continues to be very impressive.
Home sweet home
In general, our home form has been good this season, and I do think that as a Club we are beginning to settle into our surroundings. Sometimes it takes time when teams move to new stadiums, just like it does for players to settle into new squads and leagues.
We’re pleased with the run we’ve been on recently at London Stadium, in the main. We’ve drawn a few games recently that we would’ve liked to have won, but we’ll keep doing our best to pick up all three points when we can.
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