What is your reaction to the huge news from Arsenal about Aubameyang being stripped of the captaincy and what do you think the importance of captains being leaders off the pitch?
It is not huge news for us at West Ham. Managers have to make decisions and for whatever reason, Mikel has made that decision. The captain we’ve got here in Mark Noble has been great for the club. He works closely with me we talk a lot about things at the club and on the field and he’s doing a great job of preparing Declan Rice for being a future captain. So I’m really pleased with what we have here.
What is the team news, is Cresswell fit and is there any Covid in the camp?
I think we’ve got people who’ve got injuries. We’re hoping Cressy’s got a chance and we’re pushing hard for him to be ready for the game. At the moment we have no Covid in the camp but we don’t feel that we’re any different to any other football club in that it could happen to us as well but at this present time we are clear. We returned from Burnley and like every other club we have three games in six days and it’s a real tough shift to turn out the same players and have everyone fit, it is not easy.
Are we heading towards a shutdown, do you think?
I am not the right person to answer that question because I am not a scientist. We would like there not to be a shutdown because we are enjoying the supporters being back at the games, I mentioned last week that if I were a supporter going to games I would like to sit next to somebody who was injected [with the vaccine] and that is probably what is happening at the moment. But overall I’m probably the wrong person to ask about this but overall, we’re trying to prepare our players and do everything correct in and around the football club. We’re hoping that we can keep everyone fit and healthy. As I said before if I was a fan I would want to sit next to someone who is double vaccinated.
The January window is looming and yesterday, Steven Gerrard was suggesting the recruitment of new players might depend on their vaccination status. Is that something you would agree with when you’re considering new players next month?
It’s actually a good point and I had not thought about it but certainly, is it a good point. I don’t know if it would necessarily be completely a thing that I wouldn’t sign a [unvaccinated] player but in the same breath I know that is such a big issue at the moment for the clubs and I would really like all the players vaccinated but everyone is entitled to their own opinion and we can only give them advice and then it’s up to the players to decide if they take it or not.
Congratulations on reaching 600 Premier League games as a manager joining an illustrious Club, which has Mr. Wenger, Mr. Ferguson and Mr. Redknapp. How does that make you feel hearing those numbers?
First of all, thanks – I didn’t know that today! It just shows you you’re doing a far better job than my PR people here! It’s a big thing I hit 1,000 games a month or so ago and 600 games in the Premier League is a fair achievement, and the names are well known and successful as managers, so I hope I can continue trying to be successful at whatever level we’re at.
How significant is this game in terms of top four ambitions bearing in mind that Arsenal are within striking distance behind you?
It is huge like all the games are but we are positive and are in a strong position. We are hoping to get to third and trying to catch the teams above us but we are aware of the strength of the teams below us. There is a good chance you can drop out and then try and make it back in. There will be different times in the season where our form is better than others but we are in a strong position going into the Christmas period and hopefully, we come out of that in good shape.
Have you seen the reaction you would want after only getting a 0-0 draw at Burnley?
That depends how you look at it Burnley has always been a hard place to go to and get a result and to get to the position where we think West Ham should beat Burnley is good, but Burnley are a difficult team to play against. We want to go and win and we probably should have won the game but we did not take our chances.
How have you been able to beat Chelsea, Liverpool, Spurs and the Manchester clubs in the Carabao Cup? Is it a mindset change as well as tactical one?
A mindset change has been a big part. We’ve wanted to try and be organised against teams who are good with the ball and used to winning. They have top players and have build squads over many many years, we’re still in the process of trying to build a squad and team that can be competitive regularly. At the moment, we’re a little bit ahead of schedule of where we should be, but now we’re here we’re not going to give it up. We’re going to keep pushing and I have to say there’s been a lot of good things the players have done. There are other teams coming to us now who are making it harder to score against – that’s part of becoming a big team, other teams will try hard to stop you.
What have you made of the job that Mikel Arteta has done in the last few months at Arsenal?
I don’t know why people don’t talk about Mikel winning a couple of trophies, I have found it hard to win trophies so I think he has got off to a good start. He has a good team and they have bought some good young players. I did not agree with a lot of the criticism at Arsenal and I think Mikel has started his career really well with an FA Cup and Charity Shield so I think he has started well.
How important is it to have rules and standards that all the players abide by?
It’s paramount that everybody understands exactly where the boundaries and the ground rules that have been set in place. Most footballers have ideas of what the rules entail. There will be some clubs where things are slightly different to others but in the main there are a lot of very similar things at football clubs. Football clubs aren’t any different if you step out of line in your business or don’t do something correctly or you don’t turn up you would probably be reprimanded as well and football clubs are not any different. We have to have rules and regulations and a level of standards at each club, and that’s what looks like has happened at Arsenal in the last few days.
Going to Arsenal is a tricky game at the moment given their home form this season, but how excited are you to see West Ham as a club to compete with the likes of Arsenal?
We’re in a great position where we’re going into the game ahead of Arsenal. We finished ahead of them last season which was a big achievement and we want to try and do that again but I think that is much more difficult. We’re a little bit of the club which other teams are trying to catch and challenge at the moment, so I’m saying ‘bring it on’ – we’ll take it on and see how we get on. We have no reason to shy away from any team, we feel as if we can play against any team and we will try and do that tomorrow night.
Did you see the leadership qualities in Mikel Arteta at Everton?
Yes I did, I saw a bit of his singlemindedness and how he knew what he wanted so it is not a surprise, he has worked under really good people like Pep [Guardiola] and taken lots of information from him and looked at how he developed a team and he was a really good footballer himself and I think he has made a good start to his Arsenal career, I disagree with a lot of people who talk about him I think he has done very well and has a couple of trophies under his belt and built a new team there and for young managers that is not easy.
Michail Antonio has been amazing for you at West Ham but he is having a fallow period with goals. Do you look at that as something that happens with virtually every forward?
He’s been amazing for us since we put him as centre-forward. He’s been unbelievable, and with the run of goals he was on when we came out of lockdown and his pride in trying to be a goalscorer and trying to become a No.9. When you become a No.9 you go through phases when you can’t score and the secret’s to keep going. When his form’s good, I think the team plays much better. His all-round form is really important to how we play, but I’ve seen signs it’s just beginning to click a little with him again, so hopefully we’re not too far away.
