Manager on Matchday

Slaven Bilic

 

Manager Slaven Bilic wants West Ham United to sign off the Premier League season with victories over Liverpool and Burnley...

 

Hello everybody,

Today, we play our final home game of the season at London Stadium.

We face Liverpool today, knowing we face one of the best teams in the Premier League for the second home game in succession – but we have nothing to fear.

We showed against Tottenham nine days ago that we can live with the top teams. We showed character, we showed determination, we showed team spirit, everything. Most of all, we showed the quality to beat a big team.

We also proved to ourselves again that we can defend with organisation and determination and we can attack and create chances against the best.

Our four clean sheets in the last five matches and our performances against Swansea, Everton and Tottenham, in particular, have given us confidence in what we are doing. Confidence we will take into today’s game.

Today, we will face another team, like Tottenham, with big motivation. Liverpool have had a good season, but they know they need a victory to keep their destiny in their own hands when it comes to a UEFA Champions League place.

We are motivated too, though, of course, for different reasons. We still have a chance of finishing the season in the top ten, and that is what we want to do, so we will be doing everything to end the season with two victories.

We will be without two big players for those games, however. Cheikhou Kouyate and Mark Noble have both undergone surgery this week, having played in pain for the last few weeks.

Now we are safe, it was the sensible decision in both cases for Cheik and Mark to have operations carried out on their wrist and stomach respectively. We wish them, as well as Michail Antonio, all the best with their rehabilitation.

Our recent matches here have been brilliant, but it was the atmosphere you have created that is making London Stadium a true home for West Ham United – and I’m sure you will do it again today!

Slaven Bilic

Michail was voted Hammer of the Year on Tuesday night, when we had a good time celebrating with you at the Player Awards.

It was an enjoyable evening and I was pleased to see so many different players recognised with awards, as this season has been a real team effort. Everyone has stepped up when called upon, helping us to overcome the barriers that have fallen into our path.

Those barriers are a subject to review at the end of the season though, because we still have two important matches to play and we want to finish the season with our unbeaten run intact. It will set us up well for the summer and for the start of next season if we can do that.

Before I go, I would like to thank every single one of you for the support you have given me, my staff, the players and the Club this season.

Our recent matches here have been brilliant, but it was the atmosphere you have created that is making London Stadium a true home for West Ham United – and I’m sure you will do it again today!

Come on you Irons!

Slaven Bilic