David Moyes issued a statement of cautious optimism in West Ham’s hunt for a European spot at the denouement of the 2020/21 season.
Last night’s win over Sheffield United temporarily put the Irons into a Champions League spot; and while Chelsea duly dislodged them into fifth a couple of hours later, they are still on track to qualify for the Europa League at least, sitting two points clear of Premier League holders Liverpool. [BBC]
Speaking to RTE, Moyes was pressed about both the prospects and the implications of finding in a European qualification berth, replying:
If we can finish strongly great, but it will be very, very difficult with the teams challenging us and just below us. I think we are capable, but can we do it is another thing.
I want to get West Ham involved with the big boys and if we are going to do that we have got to get into Europe.
I don’t know if we can do it this year and if we are ready, and it would be a humongous step we had taken if we even got close to that. It would be enormous.
But if we are still in position when the games remaining comes down to single figures, let’s see if we can focus on one game at a time and see what we can do.
Moyes is acutely aware that European football is not a silver bullet for any woes at West Ham, with an increased fixture schedule being merely one of many possible obstacles which would need to be surmounted by the Hammers.
Nonetheless, Moyes insisted it is a challenge he feels equipped to handle:
The games come thick and fast. Prior to the game against Manchester United, the players and the staff had had no days off for about the full month since 3 January, so it’s been an incredible run just because of games.
But in a strange way I hope in the future that’s the way it’s going to be and I’m going to talk about European games or something else because we’ve got game after game, and we’ll have to get used to that I hope.
At the moment, the last month or two has been fruitful for us and it’s shown that we can cope with a game on a Saturday, Tuesday at this moment in time.
What I would say is the Europa League has always been difficult with the Thursday/Sunday situation for any club. I remember the first year I was in it with Everton we were terrible and we got knocked out straight away.
But once you get used to it and start to get a run in it – we lost to Fiorentina in the last 16 on penalty kicks one year (2008) – you get experience.
Read Everton Verdict
Moyes clearly feels that his experiences with Everton could add a new dimension to his ability to handle any obstacles that could be presented by a continentally-lined fixture schedule.
The volume of fixtures would necessitate good squad depth, a robustness and pragmatism with a dose of sensible time allotted to rest and recovery. A failure to do so risks injury bedevilling the depth of the squad, malignly impacting further ambitions.
