FIGHTING TALK
LONDON STADIUM, TODAY KO 1.30PM Arnautovic lifts lid on dressing-room bust-up: Players had to have it out PROBABLE TEAMS
The Hammers’ stand-in skipper described how Manuel Pellegrini’s players had it out with each other after their fourth defeat on the spin.
Newly promoted Wolves left the London Stadium with a victory – and that was the spark for a noholds-barred exchange that ended with an unexpected triumph at Goodison Park last week.
Arnautovic said: “The manager (above, right) came into the dressing-room after the game.
“He wasn’t happy. He was angry with our performance. We sat there and he kept talking. Then he went out to do interviews.
“We had it out among ourselves. What had to be said was said. It was good – it was heated in there.
“I was the captain, so, yes, I was involved. There were voices raised.
“You can’t keep losing and say nothing. Everybody had to understand we are a club with a big history and tradition – and that we can’t be where we are in the table. We needed to be hard on ourselves. “It is not about the manager. He gives us the details – it’s up to us to follow them. But it’s all said and everyone knows now. We have to give everything on the pitch – and I think that we did that at Everton.”
It was in the Hammers’ home clash with Chelsea last season that Arnautovic got his own campaign up and running, scoring the winner after David Moyes asked him to spearhead the attack. The Austria star added: “This club is capable of more.
“We don’t want to be where we are, still right now. We are not a club that wants to be fighting relegation. I always thought, in those years I played for Stoke, that playing against West Ham was always a difficult game.
“West Ham was always top eight, top seven, always around top 10. I was thinking, ‘Yeah, when I go there, we take another couple of players, and we can reach even higher’. But it turned out we were fighting against relegation.
“This year there was even more excitement because we spent even more money and even more players came in.
“Hopefully, the win against Everton will give us confidence. Chelsea are on fire at the moment – it will be difficult.”
Arnautovic arrived in the Premier League with plenty of baggage. He still has his moments – he was dismissed in only his second game for the Hammers – but insists he has turned a corner.
Asking how he has changed, he joked: “I’m more beautiful than I was... look, I’ve grown up a lot. I’ve two daughters and I needed to be responsible.
“When I arrived, everyone was saying, ‘Uh-oh, the new Balotelli is here’. That’s not right. I’m different. “I said to myself, ‘You can’t carry on like that because one day your daughter will read everything and think: ‘My dad was a crazy man’.’ Being a father has changed me. It has brought something to my game.
“But sometimes there are emotions in my head and I can’t control them – although I have this a lot less now. “You don’t write anything about me in the newspapers now, no scandals.
“It’s different to when I first came here. I was being hammered. I didn’t know what I was doing wrong.
“People said, ‘He doesn’t track back’. I watched the video and I was tracking back. I was always with my full-back.
“Obviously, people expected more because I came here for a lot of money.
“I needed to do the special things. Scoring goals, making assists. If you do that, people don’t mind. If it’s not going well, you need to do everything.”
One thing the Hammers hero will not be doing, however, is repeating the antics that cost him a caution the last time he found the net against Chelsea.
He said: “If the West Ham fans could jump on the pitch, I know they would celebrate with us.
“If I could be, I’d be in the stands with them. I did that last year against Chelsea and got a yellow card. I didn’t realise you got one for this. But, in these kind of moments, I forget everything.
“I don’t care for the referee or anyone else. I just want to jump in among the fans and if I am punched during the celebrations, I get punched.
“I might get knocked out – but I know if someone catches me that it’s just joy.”