David Moyes was full of praise for fellow manager Christian Streich as the West Ham United boss prepares for Streich's SC Freiburg to visit London Stadium.
Striech has overseen an incredible period of success for Freiburg during his 12 years in charge of the German side, turning the Breisgau Brazilians into a stable top-flight club after returning to the Bundesliga for the 2015/16 campaign.
Having reached the Europa League round of 16 last season, Striech and Freiburg are looking to do the same this campaign at West Ham’s expense.
The Irons know a point or more will secure top spot in Group A on Thursday evening but Moyes knows doing so will be no easy feat, especially against a good a side as SC Freiburg.
The manager is looking forward to another European night under the lights at London Stadium though, and discussed his team’s run of games, the form of Jarrod Bowen and Thilo Kehrer in his pre-match press conference…
Special European nights
The last few years, we’ve had some really good nights at London Stadium.
I think back to the wins against Sevilla and AZ Alkmaar, and those were some really special nights for us. We’re not at that stage yet this season though. We’re still in the group.
We’ve won the group in the last two years and doing so for a third straight year is going to be really tough. SC Freiburg are a very good team and we’re going to need to play well to get a result.
Streich's stability
I am very impressed with SC Freiburg manager Christian Streich.
I think he brings stability. He’s been there for 12 years, which is incredible. When you’re in a job for that length of time, it allows you to do lots of things. You can really build a club and be understanding and involved in everything.
He looks like a really important part of that football club and has been for a few years now. Freiburg are a side who are doing really well and they have got many good players. It was a close-run thing in the away leg, out in Germany. We narrowly came out in front. But they’ve shown throughout the group that they’re a good side.
We’re in Europe after Christmas time though and that’s the most important thing. Whether we finish first or second, that was the most important thing. Of course, we want to finish first in the group and get the benefits that come with that, but being in Europe heading into the new year is the most important thing.
Getting back to our best
I didn’t enjoy the weekend’s game [against Fulham].
We may have been unbeaten in six before that, but it doesn’t make the result any easier to take. We’ve just had a real gruelling schedule and I think it caught up with us a little bit.
Hopefully we can correct that, get back to our normal way, winning games and playing the way we normally do.
Important cup fixtures
I don’t really prioritise games. I look at the next game.
I have always said that the Premier League will be first and foremost for me, but the cup competitions have become pretty special for us. We’ve been to a semi-final and won a final, and we’re now seeing these cup competitions as something we must take as seriously as we can.
It is getting harder because of the level of teams in the UEFA Europa League this season. I think the standard of the football has generally gone up.
Brilliant Bowen
I see Jarrod Bowen as an option through the middle for the rest of the season.
It’s been so difficult for lots of clubs to go and buy a centre forward who can come in an make an immediate impact, and I don’t think there are loads of them in the market.
Jarrod has been able to step in while Michail Antonio has been injured and he’s scored goals. He’s played really well up front. We can always put him back out to the side, so there’s that bit of flexibility with Jarrod at the moment.
Players can adapt from being wingers into centre forwards. I think what happens is they want to be goalscorers. Perhaps they’ve been assist-makers in the early parts of their careers, but I think the way football is played now, wide players are now expected to get more goals.
I do think Jarrod can do both and I think it can help him going forward. If he can keep scoring goals too, it will really help him.
Kehrer considerations
Thilo Kehrer is a brilliant boy. He works really hard in training and he is committed. For us, his flexibility in what he can do is amazing. He can play right-back, centre-back and left-back, and that versatility is hugely important.
It’s been tough because we’ve had players performing really well defensively, and it’s been hard to get in the team. But he’s doing well.
