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Pellegrini refuses to dampen squad’s top six dream

Manuel Pellegrini wants a squad of ambitious players filled with self belief rather than issuing warnings to them about keeping their feet on the ground.
He wants players who see what’s happened over five games and believe they maintain the standards set over the next 33 as they look towards top six and European qualification. There’s a balance to be struck of course but he is keen to ensure the players keep their confidence in the hopes for glory.
Instead in answering reporters questions he declared: “When you have played just five games and you have eight points, you have the same points as Arsenal, as Manchester united, Tottenham, Chelsea soare demonstrating that. (top six hopes).
But you must extend those five games for the complete season. You are able to do it in five, why are you not able to do it in 38?
But he warned: “I don’t think we must not start any future game thinking that ‘oh we beat Manchester United last season,’ we must demonstrate again because football changes in two or three days.”
And he added: “I like that the players have an ambitious mentality, a winning mentality, and believe that they can do important things, so I always try to talk with them that it’s a target (top six) that we must have in our mind and we must fight in every game.
If we demonstrate playing with ten players like we did in the last game against Aston Villa, we continue playing attacking, and we continue playing consistently and as a solid team, then of course we are we will demonstrate that. But not with words, with actions.”
He accepts that today’s clash is probably the most significant since the opening day with the squad having strung together results and another top six club arriving at the London Stadium.
He said: “You must play against the six big teams here in England at your stadium. And if you demonstrate you are better than them at this moment, of course it will be a lot of trust for our players. We hope we do a complete game.

We are going to try from the beginning from the first minute of the game. They continue to be a big team , good players, with players that make a difference, so we must be very concentrated in our defending.
Every game or every point that you don’t lose at home is better for you. You see the statistics for all the teams, the most amount of points you have are at home. We are doing well playing away but we need to be a strong team playing in our stadium.
ClaretandHugh says: It’s refreshing to hear a manager speaking in these terms. Too often they deal in cliches about keeping players’ feet on the ground and such like. There’s clearly a sensible balance to be maintained between wild and reckless ambition and a sane assessment of the possible. West Ham – by their standards have spent a lot of money over the last two seasons and that was not to see them team rise from 10th to eighth and with the manager’s own European track record on the line seventh place will be the minimum requirement this season. He will know that very well and has assembled a squad which is widely believed as being capable of challenging  for that in a big way. That in itself is an achievement of course but too many false Hammers dawns has left us a cynical lot. However, let’s be honest, it all feels a bit different at the moment doesn’t it?
 

About Hugh5outhon1895

Hugh Southon is a lifelong Iron and the founding editor of ClaretandHugh. He is a national newspaper journalist of many years experience and was Bobby Moore's 'ghost' writer during the great man's lifetime. He describes ClaretandHugh as "the Hammers daily newspaper!" Follow on Twitter @hughsouthon

One comment on “Pellegrini refuses to dampen squad’s top six dream

  1. I agree, Hugh, it feels good at the moment and MP’s approach seems spot on. If we avoid complacency – and injuries – things look promising. Hope things look even more promising at 4.00pm. Good luck to the team and to all Hammers going to the game or watching/listening elsewhere. COYI.

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