David Moyes
How are you striking balance between competitions?
We can only look at ourselves and try to win the next game. We’ve got a really big game now against Lyon, so we’re focusing on that and hopefully keep the run going. We’re really enjoying being in the competition. Last year when we qualified, we were thrilled. We’re doing well and we’re really enjoying it. We want to try keep it going.
How are you coping with demands? Team news?
We’re really excited by being in this competition. Getting to the quarter-final of a European competition is a big deal for any club. Maybe even more so for us because we weren’t expected to be in it last season. The run we’ve been on is very good, long may that continue. Jarrod Bowen’s trained, he seems fine. He was involved in the game, not had any other injuries. Expect him to be fine.
Taken Europa League seriously since the start. Are you thinking beyond Lyon and wondering what’s possible?
Not thinking beyond Lyon at the moment. We take every competition seriously, treat them all with same importance. This one obviously is more special, to be among teams we’ve not had for years is really important. Two years ago they were in a Champions League semi-final. We’d be crazy to think any further than this first game. This will be different, different connotations to what we had in first leg against Seville. We have to undestand that. Supporters too. This is a different set up being at home in first leg of a quarter-final. The game might be slightly different.
Dynamic of being at home first?
It’s really important to not try and lose tomorrow. The difference in coming back from Seville was we knew we had a target, something to try and beat. Could we do it? No one was quite sure but we did it. The difference with this is we’re just about to kick off. Lyon won’t know a great deal about us, we don’t know a great about them. Sometimes it takes until the second game to find out a bit more about each other. In the first game we want to try and play but also be mindful there’s another game to come after.
They have some familiar players – Dembele, Ndombele?
When I say I don’t know I mean we’ve not laid eyes on them. We know them as individuals, we’ve watched them but we’ll know a lot more after playing the first game. The same with us and them. We’re really looking forward to it. Want to keep this run going if we can.
Any other injury worries? Is Ben Johnson fit?
Ben Johnson’s trained. I’m hoping he’ll be OK. Vladimir [Coufal], we’re not totally conviced that he’s 100% so he may need more time. Lanzini is suspended but trained today for the first time. We seem to be OK.
Have you banned talk of Barcelona?
We’ve not talked a minute more than Lyon. How could we dare? It’s too big a game against too big a club. We’re playing a really strong team. We find we wouldn’t even think about it. None of us would consider it. We’ve just played Everton, we’ve got a league game next week as well. One game at a time. It’s sad but that is it.
Hard to keep players focused?
It’s great we’ve got excitement. It’s great we’ve raised the expectation level. There’s more talk about West Ham than ever been before. If you want to keep up with the top teams, you’ve to mainly win domestic games. We’ve to make sure we keep our focus on them all. We’re not focusing just on the UEFA Cup.
What do you think about being favourites?
I’m pleased. If you’re favourites with the bookies, they earn more money than they lose I think. If you want to be that you have to earn it and show it. But I find that difficult because we’re relative newcomers and Lyon are a really big football club. They’ve had some changes but they are a really big football club. We’ll have our work cut out to go through.
Got to be clever, mature, intelligent, disciplined, not go gung ho in first leg?
Yes. I think all those things are what we have got to be. We found out a bit about the Seville game, how could we cope with it, how could our mentality be. Could we play correctly without giving up a goal? I think there a lot of aspects that have to come into it. Having that experience over the years makes a big difference, you know how to do it or what is expected. We’ve not really had that, but what I have got is a team now with more international players than we have ever had before at West Ham, who play regularly for their international teams. All that experience – the Czech boys have played for Slavia in the Champions League, so a lot of the boys have had European experience, so I am hoping that they can bring it to the table and help us, in a slightly different game to what the Seville game was. We have to make sure we manage that.
How much of a boost to have Bowen back?
Really good we’ve got him back. He got us a goal on Sunday. He’s played a huge part. Who knows if he’d have been in the England squad or not. It’s really sad he missed the opportunity to find out. He’s been really good for us. I’m not worried about his fitness. Sometimes the first game back is OK but it’s the one or two after are harder. I’m hoping he’ll fine in everything he does.
What does he give you?
He offers us width but he’s also been someone who can score goals. To have those players nowadays – it was always the 9s scoring but nowadays people are scoring goals from inside left, right. He’s improved as an all-round footballer. His positioning, the job he does for the team. He’s greatly improved. He’s taken time coming from the Championship to becoming a Premier League player. His contribution has been excellent.
Atmosphere needs to be like Seville again?
This will be different. We had something to chase, the crowd knew what we had to do. This is a different game. I talk about our players but our crowd does as well. There’s two games here. We need them behind us but we now need them to realise we can’t go gung ho and try to win the game in the opening minutes. It’s less likely in the teams you’re playing.
Just knocked out Sevilla, want players to have swagger in a good?
We have. I know exactly what we’ve got. I might not tell you exactly what I’ve got but I know exactly what I’ve got. But I know what I’m aiming for and what I want the outcome to be. But if we’re honestly talking about a club in Europe, we’re new boys on the block. UEFA probably weren’t expecting West Ham to be at this stage but that’s what happens … We want to show we can challenge. If we’re at our best, we’re a match for most teams. We can be.
Lyon more intimidated now you’ve beaten Seville?
We’ve beaten Liverpool at home but also lost to Brentford. You can beat big teams in one off games. Winning any match is so difficult. We take nothing for granted. Every game is incredibly tough. Lyon are a side we’ve got big respect for. Most people would consider them a Champions League team more than a Europa team. I remember watching them working for UEFA against Juventus two or three years ago. It’s not that long ago they were really challenging the vey best.
Lyon may use their new signing Tete tomorrow tonight. He was signed on an emergency loan from Shakhtar Donetsk and is eligible to play in Europe. Premier League clubs were banned from signing players from either Ukraine or Russia. Does it frustrate you that Lyon have been able to use this loophole to their advantage when a club like yourselves haven’t, especially as it could be the difference in this quarter-final?
He’s also a good player, they’ve signed a good player which is something which… by the way we would really like to support all the Ukraine-based players and give them opportunities to play, we really would, but I am not sure… I think it maybe would have been a fairer thing to say they couldn’t come into the European competitions at this stage. I think they can go and play in that country, but the Premier League hasn’t allowed us to do it yet France and UEFA have allowed it. Maybe it is the FA or Premier League here who have not allowed us those same provisions as say another country.
Frustrate you knowing that could impact this game?
I have to just get on with it. I am not thinking about it. I couldn’t tell if I was frustrated or not. I would know when I would be, but I don’t want to get caught up in it too much because I have given you an idea of what I think. There is a level of things being not quite balanced but I would really like to support every Ukrainian based player to get out and come and play somewhere.
Adovcating for team to be a bit cautious but then a risk they will be timid?
We’re not putting that over. We’re trying to be mindful it’s a game we want to win but don’t want to lose because we have a second game to play as well. Cautious is the wrong word. We’re trying to understand how to deal with a home game first.
Is West Ham’s progression a good thing for UEFA, not just a top six club?
I think it probably shows more of the standard and levels of the Premier League. For many years the Spanish have dominated the competition and we spoke about Seville earlier and how many times they won it. You look at it at the moment and there is Barcelona still in the competition. Villarreal are in the champions league so I think that for us it is great, great to be there and challenging the teams in the competition and being mentioned. I do think we do want to give everybody opportunities in football and we want to give every club an opportunity to also do well in football. We have taken our opportunity from qualifying last season and we want to keep it going this season because we have made a good go at it and hopefully we can continue.
