Extra work for Hammers as Bilic gets tough
WEST HAM players not on international duty were called into training every day last week as manager Slaven Bilic attempts to rediscover the intensity that took them into Europe.
And in a boost for Bilic, whose side sit in the bottom three with only one league victory this season, defender Aaron Cresswell has taken a full part in sessions after recovering from damaged knee ligaments. He is now in line to play his first game of the season against Crystal Palace on Saturday.
While some Premier League managers have treated the international break as an opportunity to give their squad time off, Bilic has used the time to gauge and improve fitness levels. Although several players, including star man Dmitri Payet and England’s Michail Antonio, have been away, Bilic has had a strong core to work with including club captain Mark Noble, Argentine playmaker Manuel Lanzini, former Liverpool and Real Madrid defender Alvaro Arbeloa and Pedro Obiang.
The Hammers manager has viewed with concern statistics that show his players have been below their normal levels, and he put on hard sessions from Monday to Friday with a practice game arranged against the club’s under-23s. The biggest bonus has been the availability of 26-year-old Cresswell. The left-back’s absence since July has been cited as a major factor for West Ham’s surprisingly sluggish start to the season, having finished seventh and qualified for the Europa League last term.
They sit in 18th position but Bilic hopes the Palace game can spark a good run, with Sunderland visiting the following week. West Ham’s poor start on the pitch has been compounded by a far-from-smooth move from Upton Park to the London Stadium used for the 2012 Olympics.
There have been complaints of poor stewarding, a lack of atmosphere and fans not being able to sit with their friends from the old stadium.
West Ham’s players have also appeared to struggle to cope with the extra pressure.