Manuel Lanzini has praised the Claret and Blue Army for creating a welcoming atmosphere on his Barclays Premier League debut against Leicester City
Manuel Lanzini has praised the Claret and Blue Army for creating a welcoming atmosphere on his Barclays Premier League debut against Leicester City.
While West Ham United ultimately lost the match 2-1, substitute Lanzini relished the opportunity to perform in front of a raucous, sold-out Boleyn Ground.
The Argentinian forward is well-used to loud crowds from his time with first club River Plate of Buenos Aires, and admitted he was happy to be back in such surroundings after a year with UAE Arabian Gulf League club Al Jazira.
“I absolutely loved the atmosphere and the stadium, because I have come from a place where there were not a lot of fans at the matches,” said the 22-year-old. “Coming back to a feeling like I had back home in Argentina, I loved it!”
Roared on by a capacity crowd, West Ham came close to overturning a two-goal deficit, but ultimately fell to a disappointing home defeat by the in-form Foxes.
Lanzini himself was involved heavily in the closing stages, combining with his new teammates in an unsuccessful attempt to break through the massed ranks of the Leicester defence.
“I had some mixed emotions,” he admitted. “To sum it up, it was quite a strange match and we have a few things to work on and correct to ensure it won’t happen again.
“It was a difficult game because we were dominating and playing well and somehow we found ourselves 2-0 down and then we had to push more men forward and try to score a goal and come back.
“Leicester didn’t let us back in it. They sat back and defended really well and that’s maybe we were not able to create so many clear-cut chances, but we tried our best.”
While Saturday’s result was a blow to Lanzini and everyone connected with the Club, he insists that Slaven Bilic’s possession-based style of football will pay dividends more often than not.
Next up for West Ham is another home match, with newly-promoted AFC Bournemouth coming to the Boleyn Ground on Saturday. The No28 says the Hammers will be ready for the Cherries.
“Obviously my style of football is that I like to receive the ball to feet, not in the air, so I like our style!” said the 5’7 attacker. “I think we played a good style of football on Saturday, but it was an unusual game and we have some stuff to correct for the future.”
While West Ham United ultimately lost the match 2-1, substitute Lanzini relished the opportunity to perform in front of a raucous, sold-out Boleyn Ground.
The Argentinian forward is well-used to loud crowds from his time with first club River Plate of Buenos Aires, and admitted he was happy to be back in such surroundings after a year with UAE Arabian Gulf League club Al Jazira.
“I absolutely loved the atmosphere and the stadium, because I have come from a place where there were not a lot of fans at the matches,” said the 22-year-old. “Coming back to a feeling like I had back home in Argentina, I loved it!”
Roared on by a capacity crowd, West Ham came close to overturning a two-goal deficit, but ultimately fell to a disappointing home defeat by the in-form Foxes.
Lanzini himself was involved heavily in the closing stages, combining with his new teammates in an unsuccessful attempt to break through the massed ranks of the Leicester defence.
“I had some mixed emotions,” he admitted. “To sum it up, it was quite a strange match and we have a few things to work on and correct to ensure it won’t happen again.
“It was a difficult game because we were dominating and playing well and somehow we found ourselves 2-0 down and then we had to push more men forward and try to score a goal and come back.
“Leicester didn’t let us back in it. They sat back and defended really well and that’s maybe we were not able to create so many clear-cut chances, but we tried our best.”
While Saturday’s result was a blow to Lanzini and everyone connected with the Club, he insists that Slaven Bilic’s possession-based style of football will pay dividends more often than not.
Next up for West Ham is another home match, with newly-promoted AFC Bournemouth coming to the Boleyn Ground on Saturday. The No28 says the Hammers will be ready for the Cherries.
“Obviously my style of football is that I like to receive the ball to feet, not in the air, so I like our style!” said the 5’7 attacker. “I think we played a good style of football on Saturday, but it was an unusual game and we have some stuff to correct for the future.”