Slaven Bilic hailed every member of his team as West Ham United scored a 2-0 opening-day Barclays Premier League victory at Arsenal
Slaven Bilic hailed every member of his team as West Ham United scored a 2-0 opening-day Barclays Premier League victory at Arsenal.
The Hammers scored a goal in each half through Cheikhou Kouyate and Mauro Zarate to stun the Emirates, but they were just two of 14 heroes in Claret and Blue, said to the manager.
Talking to West Ham TV after his Barclays Premier League managerial debut ended in success, the manager also discussed his decision to hand 16-year-old Reece Oxford a start in a deep-lying midfield role.
“It is a great win for us, a great start for us and it’s great for the Club and for the fans especially because it’s Arsenal,” Bilic beamed. “It’s one of the biggest teams and one of the contenders and it’s the first day and we did it in their stadium. I don’t know how long it is, five years, ten years, but it’s an absolutely amazing result.
“In the first half, to be fair I have no problem admitting that we stole the first goal. We deserved the goal, but we didn’t deserve to be one up considering what was going on on the pitch. We were lucky. Maybe a draw at half-time would be fair because they were more aggressive and aware for the second ball, which is unacceptable. They can be better, some of their players, but more aggressive and more aware, no.
“At half-time I said some good things but I said ‘OK, we are winning guys, but if we are going to be like that we have to improve’. The team performance in the second half was magnificent, from the goalkeeper to Modibo who came on for the last few minutes.
“As a unit we were brilliant closing them, sometimes very early and sometimes when we let them have the ball with the players who we wanted to have the ball, not the main players. Sometimes we defended by pushing up, we were keeping the ball and we were penetrating, Sakho and Dimitri were putting their centre-halves under pressure and keeping the ball when needed. Everyone was really good.”
The Hammers scored a goal in each half through Cheikhou Kouyate and Mauro Zarate to stun the Emirates, but they were just two of 14 heroes in Claret and Blue, said to the manager.
Talking to West Ham TV after his Barclays Premier League managerial debut ended in success, the manager also discussed his decision to hand 16-year-old Reece Oxford a start in a deep-lying midfield role.
“It is a great win for us, a great start for us and it’s great for the Club and for the fans especially because it’s Arsenal,” Bilic beamed. “It’s one of the biggest teams and one of the contenders and it’s the first day and we did it in their stadium. I don’t know how long it is, five years, ten years, but it’s an absolutely amazing result.
“In the first half, to be fair I have no problem admitting that we stole the first goal. We deserved the goal, but we didn’t deserve to be one up considering what was going on on the pitch. We were lucky. Maybe a draw at half-time would be fair because they were more aggressive and aware for the second ball, which is unacceptable. They can be better, some of their players, but more aggressive and more aware, no.
“At half-time I said some good things but I said ‘OK, we are winning guys, but if we are going to be like that we have to improve’. The team performance in the second half was magnificent, from the goalkeeper to Modibo who came on for the last few minutes.
“As a unit we were brilliant closing them, sometimes very early and sometimes when we let them have the ball with the players who we wanted to have the ball, not the main players. Sometimes we defended by pushing up, we were keeping the ball and we were penetrating, Sakho and Dimitri were putting their centre-halves under pressure and keeping the ball when needed. Everyone was really good.”
It’s one of the biggest teams and one of the contenders and it’s the first day and we did it in their stadium. I don’t know how long it is, five years, ten years, but it’s an absolutely amazing result
Bilic spoke with pride at the nature of West Ham’s two goals, one of which came from a Dimitri Payet free-kick headed home by Kouyate and the second which saw the Hammers win the ball back deep inside the Arsenal half before Zarate blasted low past Petr Cech from 25 yards.
While he did not get his name on the scoresheet, 16-year-old Reece Oxford also stole the headlines by producing a performance that belied his tender years and will have caught the attention of football fans everywhere.
Composed, assured and confident, Oxford won praise from his manager after a simply outstanding Barclays Premier League debut
“To talk about Reece now is easy but I don’t want to give lessons. We just put Reece in the team because I wanted to combine this game between him and Kevin Nolan.
“We needed someone to sit there and be a centre-half and not a centre-half, to take the long balls and be good in the air and sit and wait and be ready for Cazorla, Ozil or Ramsey in that space between the lines.
“We also wanted a player who can turn and make good passes and we picked him because he has got it all – he is tall, he is strong, he can run, he is quick, he can head a ball and is good in a duel, he can pass the ball and he can turn.
“The only problem was that he is 16 but then I thought ‘Should I react by what will happen if it doesn’t work out, or should I try to do everything for it to work’ and we stuck to that and it proved us right today!
“Of course Reece is still 16 and not 19, but we will try to manage him now and we will keep him away from all the fuss that is going to be created. That is part of our job, but the boy has a future and we have to manage him the right way in every aspect.”
While he did not get his name on the scoresheet, 16-year-old Reece Oxford also stole the headlines by producing a performance that belied his tender years and will have caught the attention of football fans everywhere.
Composed, assured and confident, Oxford won praise from his manager after a simply outstanding Barclays Premier League debut
“To talk about Reece now is easy but I don’t want to give lessons. We just put Reece in the team because I wanted to combine this game between him and Kevin Nolan.
“We needed someone to sit there and be a centre-half and not a centre-half, to take the long balls and be good in the air and sit and wait and be ready for Cazorla, Ozil or Ramsey in that space between the lines.
“We also wanted a player who can turn and make good passes and we picked him because he has got it all – he is tall, he is strong, he can run, he is quick, he can head a ball and is good in a duel, he can pass the ball and he can turn.
“The only problem was that he is 16 but then I thought ‘Should I react by what will happen if it doesn’t work out, or should I try to do everything for it to work’ and we stuck to that and it proved us right today!
“Of course Reece is still 16 and not 19, but we will try to manage him now and we will keep him away from all the fuss that is going to be created. That is part of our job, but the boy has a future and we have to manage him the right way in every aspect.”