Michail Antonio says the hiatus for the 2022 FIFA World Cup has given the West Ham United squad a chance to focus on finding consistency.
The Irons return to Premier League action on Boxing Day with a trip to north London to face leaders Arsenal, and Antonio admitted the Hammers’ form prior to the break starting in November was erratic.
The mini-break and return to training, however, have allowed David Moyes’ side to work on rediscovering the levels that saw the team qualify for European football in two consecutive campaigns.
“We were a bit up and down,” Antonio told the Evening Standard. “[The break] has given us an opportunity to work on our consistency, get back into the season and do what we know we can do: play like we have over the last couple of years and try to get our philosophy back.
“We are a team that believes we should always finish around the European places, so it’s just about getting it to gel again. I think we hit a slump from the massive season we had last year and, after this nice little break, hopefully we can turn things around.”
Goals have not been easy to come by in the league this campaign for Antonio and his teammates so far but, with the summer signings continuing to build chemistry with the rest of the squad in the last few weeks, the No9 is confident more finishes are on their way.
“We’ve been working on why things have been breaking down going forward, because we’ve not been conceding much, but we’ve also not been scoring as much as in the past.
“Every team that has brought in lots of players has tended to struggle in the beginning, but once things started to gel and the chemistry starts to build, things started working out.”
One of those summer signings, Gianluca Scamacca, is Antonio’s direct competition for a starting place up front in the West Ham side.
The 32-year-old is relishing the ongoing duel with the Italian international for a place in the team.
“Through my whole career, there’s always been competition, someone that wants to take your shirt,” he added. “Right now, [Scamacca’s] got the shirt. It’s my turn to try to improve and work on what I need to work on to get my shirt back.
“That’s something that’s driven me to where I am now. I’m not really about the rotation type of thing — if I’m fit, I want to play. It’s the gaffer’s decision on what he wants to do, but I’m always going to let him know that I want to play."
