West Ham United goalkeeper Alphonse Areola admits it is personally a good time for him to stake a claim for club and country after spending much of the past two seasons on the bench for the Hammers and the French national team. While Areola does not wish harm on anyone including teammate Fabianski, he has said it is a big opportunity for him for both club and country.
Alphonse Areola said: “It’s quite a good timing but obviously I don’t want anyone having bad luck or a bad injury, I’m not like that. For me obviously personally, it’s quite a good timing to have more minutes and to try to get to the national team.”
While Areola has made 34 appearances for the Hammers, the game with the Villans is set to see him make his full home league debut since joining West Ham, initially on loan, from Paris Saint-Germain at the start of last season. It is quick turnaround for the Hammers, who land back in London on Friday after beating Cypriot side AEK Larnaca in the first leg of their Europa Conference League round of 16 tie 2-0 on Thursday night.
Alphonse Areola said: “We’re just going to recover right now, that’s the most important thing. Tomorrow, fly back to London, it will be a long flight. Looking forward to that game and just be ready for it. We have to win and get more points to be a bit more safe.”
In the game, striker Michail Antonio scored both goals at the end of the first half, the second of which was a stunning effort from 20 yards out, a curling effort that sealed a first leg win for the Hammers. Asked if Antonio had scored many goals like that against Areola in training, the Frenchman joked that Antonio has tried, but added that it was an excellent finish and that he was pleased for him.
Alphonse Areola joked: “He’s trying. From the back, it was an unbelievable goal. I am very happy for everyone, him especially because he had less minutes in the last few games and just showed that he’s ready for the battle to help the team, so that’s good for everyone to show that we just want to lift the positivity for the team.”
That two-goal cushion puts West Ham in the driving seat to seal a place in the quarter-finals of a European competition for a second straight season. Areola was pleased with the result in Cyprus and has praised the defensive resolve shown, hoping that the Hammers can take confidence from it into their clash against Villa this weekend.
Alphonse Areola said: “In European games, the first and second leg, it’s important to keep a clean sheet to arrive in our stadium to be strong and try to score and not concede. It was good tonight to not concede and to keep that clean sheet is obviously good for us, the defenders and as well, for the team. We have to keep that momentum and that positive energy.”
