David Moyes is looking forward to West Ham United’s trip to the East Midlands to face Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
The Hammers are looking for a strong response to last weekend’s disappointing defeat at home to Arsenal, while also hoping to bring a five-game winless run to an end.
Forest themselves are on the hunt for a first victory in five games, and go into the clash eight spots below eighth-placed West Ham in the Premier League table, just two points above the relegation zone.
Manager Moyes faced the media for his pre-match press conference at Rush Green on Friday afternoon, when he answered questions about injury news, the players’ behind-the-scenes performances, the Reds’ threat and more…
Team news
Lucas Paquetá is not fit for tomorrow. He’s been on the grass for a couple of days, but he’s not quite there yet.
We’ve missed him a lot, as well as other players that have been out or away. We lost Mohammed Kudus and Nayef Aguerd to the African Cup of Nations, and Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen have both had spells injured. Other clubs have had similar issues, but it does have an impact.
Michail Antonio will be available. We need to see exactly what level he’s at, but he’s had a week or so of training now, so he’ll be back in the squad.
Kurt Zouma’s fine, the bigger problem last week was Edson Álvarez. He came off at half-time with illness, but he’s recovered and is fine.
Reflections on Arsenal disappointment
I think the standout thing from last week was Arsenal’s performance. We didn’t play well and we didn’t get anywhere close to the required standard, but we were up against a formidable team on the day and we were punished.
We’re all in it together, and we’re going into this next game as a unit. We’ve had some great results this season, last week we had a poor one, and now we have to bounce back. I’m looking forward to seeing how the players go about it, because what I’ve seen in training has been very good.
When you’ve lost like we did, you’ve got a duty to show a reaction. I take responsibility, but it’s the players who cross that white line, and I’m sure they’ll all be desperate to put things right tomorrow.
Threats posed by the Tricky Trees
Nottingham Forest are a good team, with a lot of good players. I think Steve Cooper did a great job in his time in charge in terms of bringing them up and stabilising them in the Premier League. Nuno Espírito Santo’s very experienced, he’s worked at some very big clubs, and I think I’ve some seen slight changes in what he’s implemented.
It's not an easy place to go. We lost there on the opening day of last season, and we felt bad because we thought we deserved more from the game. It’s a great atmosphere at the City Ground. I think everyone was thrilled to see Nottingham Forest come back to the Premier League because of the history that everyone remembers really well, and we’re excited for what promises to be an entertaining occasion.
I think you prepare for all games in the same way, to get the result you want. You might know you’re going to have more or less of the ball in certain games, so you have that in mind, but overall we just want to keep up the good results we’ve had this year. If we can pick up another five or six good wins in the Premier League it will start to get us in a really healthy position.
A message for Roy Hodgson
Roy Hodgson’s a good friend, and he has been for many, many years. He’s been a great colleague for a long time, as well. I’m hearing he’s fine, and I hope that’s the case.
I’ve always said I’m not sure if I’ll still want to be working when I get to Roy’s age! He’s got great love for the game, and his longevity has been incredible. I wish him all the best.
