- Slaven Bilic thinks his side have what it takes to pick up three points against Hull City on Saturday
- The manager believes that now the Hammers are through their difficult period of tough fixtures, they can begin to build their confidence
- Bilic also admitted it may be a tough time for the side when they lose some key players to the African Cup of Nations
West Ham United boss Slaven Bilic believes his side have a great chance to build their confidence further this weekend as they look to add to Wednesday night’s 1-0 victory over Burnley against Hull City on Saturday.
The Hammers took only two points from four incredibly tough Premier League fixtures before the midweek win, but Bilic labelled the team’s current run of games a fresh start and is now keen to see the Club climb the league table.
And with Saturday’s London Stadium opponents Hull having only picked up four points from a possible 24 on their travels this season in the league, the Croatian is confident of another positive result at the weekend.
He said: “We spoke about this couple of games, three to four games in this busy period when we played against Spurs, Manchester United twice, Arsenal and Liverpool. It was an extremely difficult schedule.
“That period came and we started with three points and we have a really good chance again tomorrow.
“They are playing really good football and I like the way we play. They are in good form, they create, but we have a good chance.
This period has come and we have started with three points. They are in good form, they create, but we have a good chance.
Slaven Bilic
“Not because we want to but we need to continue like this and get a few more places on the table. If that happens, we can expect better performances. Nothing can give you confidence better than victories.”
Though the manager remains focused his side’s clash against the Tigers on Saturday, he admitted the beginning of the African Cup of Nations in January – when a small number of Hammers will travel to Gabon for the tournament – is in the back of his mind.
Bilic also hinted at possible moves in the upcoming transfer window to ensure his squad is fully prepared for the period when they will be without the likes of Cheikhou Kouyate and Andre Ayew.
“In September, October and November, we knew that this time was going to come,” he continued. “We need to concentrate on these three games and then after Manchester United at home [on 2 January], they will go and represent their countries.
“It is not ideal, of course, but it is the case for us. Three or four of them will go.
“When that time comes though, it is the transfer window. We will lose players but so will other clubs in the Premier League.”
Finally, Bilic looked ahead to playing in front of the thousands of Hammers supporters in the Club's London Stadium, where the side have now won three of their last five home matches.
“It is a great stadium. You can feel the crowd, feel 60,000 people,” the former defender said. “It is different to Upton Park but as we said at the beginning there are ups and downs.
“We lost a couple of games it was stupid, then we beat Chelsea and Sunderland and it’s the best ever stadium.
“It is a new stadium and like everything new, you have to have some good memories and to have memories you need time. The stadium isn’t good, it is unbelievable.”