West Ham United manager David Moyes spoke to the media at length on Tuesday morning ahead of their Premier League clash against Manchester City on Wednesday.
With just five games left in their Premier League season, West Ham sit four points clear of the relegation zone, but with a game in hand. However, that game in hand comes is against league leaders City.
Here is every word Moyes said on the game, Erling Haaland, the relegation battle, VAR and more.
READ MORE: Declan Rice hints at West Ham decision as Joe Cole makes 'all around Europe' transfer claim
What is the latest team news?
We’ve got one or two knocks and niggles. Kurt Zouma is the biggest fear, we think we might lose Kurt for a few weeks, but we’re still sort of assessing his ankle at the minute.
How much attention did you pay to Leicester City’s draw with Everton last night?
I didn’t pay any attention to it because my tele wasn’t working, so I had no satellite signal so I never ended up getting to watch the game. I was going through my phone so unfortunately, I didn’t get to see the game.
What do you think the result means for West Ham?
It has nothing to do with me to be honest, we can only concentrate on our games and look at what we have to do. We’ve got a lot of big games coming up. We’ve got a big European night coming up in a week’s time as well, so we’ve got a lot of good games coming.
How do you approach the game against Manchester City?
You approach it the same as you would approach any fixture, but obviously we know we are playing against a very good team. We've been to the Etihad a lot and it’s been hard to win, but I’ve got to say, we’ve given them some really good games when we’ve played them. The games have been close, so I’m hoping we can put on another good show.
How do you go about stopping Erling Haaland, after he recently reached 50 goals for the season?
It’s a good question, I don't think anybody knows the answer to that. I think that is probably the way it is. He’s been able to make it hard enough. I think he is the icing on the cake for them, I think they have got so many good players who can create chances and he’s such a good finisher. If you get him in those right positions, he is capable of scoring. I think they’ve got a great team and that’s topped off by Haaland.
What are your thoughts on Leeds United potentially sacking Javi Gracia with just four games left in their season?
I don’t really have great thoughts on it because I’m sure other people speak better about it than me. I’m always sorry if it’s true, I don’t know if you’ve got that right yet, I’m not sure if it’s exactly right. Probably better not to comment on it.
Is Kurt Zouma’s injury his ankle ligaments?
Yes, it is.
Do you think he would be back in time if you reached the Europa Conference League final?
I wouldn’t want to say just now because I’m not the medical man, but Kurt is a bit different. Kurt is incredibly good at getting himself ready and back fit. We’re hoping he will be fine.
Lukasz Fabianski recently said that because of the last two seasons, players thought they would get the results and eventually pull away and it was a wake up call when games started to run out. Have you noticed a change among the players that they needed something extra in recent weeks?
I felt that we were a good enough team to improve our results. I’ve always felt. Really, probably since the World Cup, our run of results have been much, much better. Recently, we’ve had a very good run, obviously the last week has been very difficult for us with a couple of games that just didn’t go our way. The players have been trying to get back at it, they’ve done a good job. A week or so ago, we had probably one of the best weeks we had for a while. We’re trying to build on that and we’re trying to continue that. Our performances against Liverpool was good, not so much on Saturday against Palace. Overall, I’ve been pleased with how the players are performing.
Has Erling Haaland scoring 50 goals taken you by surprise?
I think anybody coming into the Premier League and doing as well as that is incredible. I think they have got a team that can give this player great opportunities. What he is, he’s a terrific finisher, whether it’s with his head, or his feet, running in behind or scoring inside the box. He's certainly got all the attributes as a really top goalscorer. I think he's actually got a team behind him which quite often make him. I wouldn’t say they make it easy for him, but they try to make it as easy as they can to score for him.
How much of a test is it playing every few days at the moment and working out picking the right team based on energy levels?
Well, you never know. I didn't expect it on Saturday morning that maybe our energy levels were going to be lower, and it showed that. I think there are games where it will happen. I see it even with the best teams, Man City as well, they’ve got it. They will have somewhere in their journey where their energy levels are lower and maybe not as good as they’ve been in the past but you know, the demands the broadcasters are putting on the clubs and the teams at the moment is huge. Because of that, there is always a chance you can maybe be slightly undercooked.
Opta have said there is a 0.7% chance that you will get relegated. What will it take to make that 0%?
I only concentrate on what we can do and we have to make sure that we can win the next games. The most important in football is always the same, try and win the next game. See where it takes you. If we get the points then great, if not, we move on and go again.
Manchester City could win a treble. If they do, do you think this will be the best club side you have ever seen in your lifetime or as a manager?
I think the Premier League has had some incredible seasons. Every year or two, you look and there has been great years. Think of when Leicester City won the Premier League, you look at Sir Alex's teams, then the rise of Man City and you go back to Arsene Wenger as well and the way they all worked in the Premier League. I think to sort of say, yes, this is the best one’ I think would be a bit unkind to all of the others, because I think there were some great seasons. Are they the best team? They are certainly one of the best teams, if not the best. But, they are certainly one of them and I think it’s another exciting Premier League season. I think Arsenal have been incredible this year, the way they have played and pushing and still are pushing all the way. Who knows, they may yet overcome Man City.
Is this a bit of a free hit for you because no one expects you to win?
I don’t think any football game is a free hit, I’ve never thought that. I think every game is important. As you rightly said, there's a big battle at the bottom end of the league, so we will certainly not give up any game. We’re going to have go out there and put in the best performance we possibly can.
Has West Ham’s season shown why stability and not rushing to sack managers is a necessity?
Probably from where I come from, I think it’s good as a manager and I'm a manager and I want to stand up for all of the managers. They all want an opportunity and they all want to give themselves a chance. It's a big part of the game now that managers are losing their jobs much quicker now. I don’t know if all the changes have been successful, maybe a lot of them have been, I don’t know how many of them have been successful. All the managers who have come into jobs, I'm wishing them good luck and hope that they want to do well in their roles. They want to be given the chance to be successful. But if you are going to keep chopping and changing, I wouldn’t be sure it's the right thing for football clubs for continuity, stability, the growth you are trying to get at football clubs. Maybe the football clubs now have got too much money and they can afford to keep changing all of the time and changing the direction clubs are going in. I'm not here to speak about the other clubs, because they’ll know what they do. What I do know from being a manager, you need to be given a chance, you need good people behind you. You need good support, because every manager will have bad times, it’s very, very rarely you go through a career or a season without having bad times and when you do, you need people behind people to support you.
Do you look at what could still be achieved this season and think if you didn’t get the backing from the board, you wouldn’t get that chance?
As a manager, you need to be lucky to have good owners and people to support you when you are not doing so well. Through the career, I’ve been really fortunate that I’ve had really good chairmen and men with distinction who don’t buckle when the call comes. Thankfully, I’ve had that throughout my career. Yes, we’re one of two teams left with European football in the UK, we’ve got a semi-final to play and it’s something which it would be terrific if we could get to a final with West Ham.
Do you feel you have been unlucky with VAR calls and have you lost faith in it recently?
Yes, I would have to say that yes. But, I would say hopefully, we hope it doesn't all go one way and you hope that it changes for you a little bit and the decisions go in your favour a little bit. But, the last couple have been pretty hard to take, I’ve got to say.
Have you had letters of apology yet?
No, I’ve not asked either or probably wouldn’t expect any either.
Is the key thing that VAR has to have such a high bar on mistakes because they’re able to correct that?
Yes we do. I don’t actually think we’re actually quite sure when VAR can intervene and when it can’t. One day, we think it can intervene. One day, we’re not sure it can intervene. I just think more importantly, I said it last week, I think they weren't going to give soft penalty kicks in the Premier League and to be fair, for most of the season, they have probably carried it out. But I’m just beginning to see soft ones coming back into it. Obviously, they are completely unsure about the handball situation, so their situation is very hard to explain.
Does there need to be better communication?
You answered it by saying people make mistakes. People make mistakes, I make mistakes, the players make mistakes, it happens in football. We see it as a couple of mistakes and it’s nothing we can do.
Does there need to be better communication from VAR?
Well, if they’re going to continue to have communication with us then we'll look forward to that.
What is your view on the amount of interim managers in the Premier League at the moment?
I think you are also seeing how important it is to be a Premier League club and the value of that etc. I don’t think I can ever remember the Premier League having as many interim managers in different roles and different changes. It's not for me to look at it, but maybe a lot of clubs may look back at it and think, did we make the right decision? Of course, they will know their reasons for doing it behind the scenes, I don’t. Some clubs might look back and think, maybe we didn’t get that tight. Ultimately, the manager is the one who takes a hit and is the one who loses his job.
Would David Moyes the player still want to be a manager?
It's a really good question, I'm really someone who wants to champion all of the young coaches. I think there’s some really good young coaches coming through. I think there's a lot of new things in football. But I think if you’re going into an industry where you think you’ve got very little security. For all of the managers now, the first job is the hardest. Because the first job means that if you don't have some success in your first job, you may struggle to get a second job or maybe even stay in your first job. And quite often you don’t get looked at again, so that means it is a difficult road in. It’s quite expensive to do your Pro Licence and go through the coaching badges, maybe not for some of the top players, but it is if you’re a lower league player who was trying to make a career. But the one thing football has done…the industry of football has given thousands and thousands of people jobs. Football is putting an awful lot into the industry. If you want to work in football, there's lots of jobs. Probably the top job in world football is being a Premier League manager, and it is very difficult to stay in it. That’s why we’re seeing probably so many of the top managers coming here to the Premier League, but we’re also seeing quite a few who come in for a short period and go away again.
Because of how short a first job as a manager can be, does it seem sensible for Mark Noble to go down the sporting director route?
You can see a lot more ex-players thinking we don’t quite want to. We’d rather be closer to the board room, because it seems a safer role. And there are a lot of courses going on for trainee sporting directors, etc. Which is good. I think ex players going into these roles might be good in the future. Without naming people, we can probably think of some very good players, very well known international players who have been in work and are maybe not in work at the moment. They maybe had a big future and you need somehow to get going and I’m a bit older. I’ve had longevity so you can maybe speak like an old geezer and you can speak from some experience. Getting through the first few years is always the hard bit to try to get your foot up on your radio.
READ NEXT
'We have to' - Lukasz Fabianski sets West Ham Premier League goal amid relegation struggles
'Two poor decisions' - Chris Sutton highlights incidents which could cost West Ham relegation
Ex-Tottenham midfielder makes bizarre Declan Rice transfer claim amid Arsenal and Chelsea links
West Ham's remaining fixtures compared to Leeds United, Nottingham Forest, Leicester and Everton
Pep Guardiola reveals Kevin De Bruyne injury with midfielder potential doubt for West Ham clash
