Moyes backing Antonio to sparkle against Reds
David Moyes believes Michail Antonio can make the difference when West Ham host Liverpool today.
Antonio was missing through injury when the Hammers ran the champions close at Anfield in October, taking the lead through Pablo Fornals, before going down to a Mohamed Salah penalty and a late Diogo Jota strike.
The striker is now back to full fitness and back at full steam, scoring winners against Burnley and West Brom and hitting a post twice in the 3-2 win at Crystal Palace which took West Ham temporarily above Liverpool into fourth.
And with Liverpool forced to field a patched-up defence, Moyes will be hoping his explosive frontman can inflict further damage on their title bid and lift West Ham back into the Champions League spots.
“I think Mickey’s made a difference to us all, certainly over the last year he’s made a really big difference,” said the Hammers boss.
“I hope his form continues. I think the other night against Palace was a night he could have ended up with three or four goals.
“The two games prior to that he got me the winning goals. So he’s really important to us. And I do believe that going to Anfield, if we’d had Mickey he’d have given us a better chance to get the result.
“I hope that proves to be the case in this game and that we can play as well, and that Mickey has his shooting boots on to give us the extra that we need.”
The Reds had gone five matches without a victory until they beat Tottenham on Thursday, while West Ham have won six on the spin in all competitions.
But Moyes added: “Liverpool are an exceptional team. There have been very few poor times for Liverpool in the last few years.
“So it was always going to happen that somewhere along the line you get a little bit of a blip. But the game against Tottenham showed everybody what they are capable of. So we have to try to go into it in the form that we are in and take them on as much as we can. But in the same breath we’re really respectful of the quality they possess.”
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp believes Jordan Henderson’s experience and personality make him an obvious candidate to fill his problem centre-back position.
New injuries to Fabinho and Joel Matip mean the Reds boss now has four senior players – including long-term absentees Virgil Van Dijk and Joe Gomez – unavailable to play in central defence.
Klopp expects 27-year-old Fabinho to miss the next two matches.
“Minor issues nowadays are at least three games, depending on the week it could be four games,” said Klopp, who revealed midfielder Naby Keita was closer to a return after eight matches out but not in time for today. While Klopp also has Nat Phillips and 19-year-old Rhys Williams, one of whom will have to play against the Hammers, to call on Klopp requires a leader at the back and his captain fits the bill.
“First and foremost, that’s experience,” said the manager of how well Henderson has slotted into the role for three matches this month, conceding two goals in that time.
“We don’t worry about Nat and Rhys, but it’s about the situation. If they play with Joel Matip or Joe Gomez or Virgil Van Dijk it’s absolutely no problem – it’s clear who organises the line and stuff like this.
“But with young players it must always be in the 100% right moment. Hendo plays there because he can do it and because he can help us there.
“That he can defend in the position is clear, that he has to adapt and to learn the position is clear as well.
“But it’s the personality we need, the experience we need and it’s the football we need from the position so that is about the decision with Hendo.
“The whole season is the problem, that we had so many different centre-half pairings – that’s more the problem than the (actual) centre-half pairing.
“We try to be as consistent as possible usually because you have two or three days (between games) and now changing it completely is not really helpful as well.”
Liverpool ended an eight-hour Premier League goal drought in Thursday’s 3-1 victory over Tottenham. Sadio Mane scored his first league goal in five matches, Roberto Firmino his first in six, while Trent Alexander-arnold scored his first of the season.
Klopp hopes it will be the confidence boost the players need to pick up their form.
“The right people scored the goals in the last two games, let me say it like this. It helps really,” said Klopp (Mohamed Salah scored twice in last weekend’s FA Cup defeat to Manchester United).
“Trent set a goal up and scored one himself, so was really helpful as well.
“We speak a lot about it and spoke a lot about the scoring record in recent times.
“We knew it, we tried to change it and we could change it. Now let’s try to build on it.”