The stats don’t lie
FROM BACK PAGE go home and stay frustrated as, in this way, we have the right mentality. Otherwise, if we accept this result and say we were unlucky, we’re not building anything positive for the future.”
Alvaro Morata (above) twice had goals ruled out for offside and with five wins in 20 games, Conte added: “You must win this game if you want to reach a target, in this case a place in the Champions League, because the other teams are clinical.” Hammers boss David Moyes believes Joe Hart is back to his best. The England keeper made outstanding saves from Willian, Marcos Alonso and Olivier Giroud.
Moyes said: “That’s why he has so many caps and medals at the top level.” numbers don’t match up. Rooney, angry at being pulled off after 57 minutes of the Merseyside derby, snubbed a handshake from Allardyce and mouthed a stream of obscenities as he took his seat in the dugout.
Allardyce, though, made it clear Rooney has to perform at the highest level against top opponents if he wants to keep his place.
Big Sam said: “There is what I see during the game and then there are the stats after the game.
“When those stats are backing up what I’ve seen – for anybody, not just Wayne – then we talk to the player and say ‘levels have to be lifted’. And when that continues to happen, you get left out. That’s the beauty of statistics.
“They don’t lie. They back up what you’ve seen.”
When asked if he has a concern that Rooney has struggled in midfield against the big teams like Liverpool and Manchester City in recent weeks, Allardyce said: “I can agree to a certain extent.”