Slaven Bilic believes the game against Norwich is a good chance for his team to bounce back after losing to Southampton.
However, the manager knows a positive result won’t come easily since Norwich did well in the winter transfer window and desperately need a result after suffering five straight losses.
West Ham need to get a positive result as they look to stay in the top six.
We go to Norwich knowing that we lost our last league game away at Southampton. It is a good game to bounce back; we absolutely need to get something from the game. It’ll be a hard game because they have lost five games in a row but before that they were in a very comfortable position. In the transfer window they did really good, they spent money and got good players. They need a result like crazy so we are expecting a very tough game.
Bilic addressed injuries and fatigue, as reported by the club’s official website, but also talked about how the Liverpool win has filled the Hammers’ locker room with positive vibes prior to a tough trip to Carrow Road.
We have a few knocks and injuries but overall it’s a good feeling. Even those guys with a knock, they feel good. When you win you don’t feel the fatigue as much. 120 minutes is of course a lot to play, but we are all looking forward to the Norwich game on Saturday.
The manager revealed some team news ahead of Saturday’s clash. The fourth round replay win against Liverpool came with a price as it left the Hammers ravaged with injuries.
We have a situation with Joey O’Brien and Winston Reid, they both injured hamstrings, they are having a scan today and then we will know.
We have also James Tomkins who is out for five weeks, they are three big defenders for us, it’s not a great situation.
I think the knocks are going to be OK for Saturday. Cheikhou Kouyate is OK, he is doing well, but because of the rules he can’t play because he was unconscious. It’s a big blow for us of course, but we will put a strong team out. Alex Song is back, we have enough to put a very strong team out.
On Sunday, Manuel Lanzini will train with the team which is obviously a big boost for us. If everything goes well, he could feature against Blackburn Rovers next Sunday.
The win against Liverpool has put West Ham in the last 16 of the FA Cup. The Hammers will visit Championship side Blackburn in the fifth round on Sunday, 21 February.
