Manuel Pellegrini met with the gathered media on Thursday afternoon to discuss his side ahead of this weekend’s Premier League match with Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The West Ham United boss talked about the positives of Tuesday’s win over AFC Wimbledon, the job his counterpart Nuno Espírito Santo has done at Wolves, and much more…
‘We never lost belief against Wimbledon’
West Ham head into this weekend’s game on the back of a 3-1 win at Wimbledon in the second round of the Carabao Cup on Tuesday, but it was going behind in that fixture that manager Pellegrini found the most useful aspect.
“It was very positive because you need to win against a team in League One,” he explained. “There is a difference but it’s not easy to do it, because I can give you examples of when a League One team has beaten a Premier League team. Especially if you’re losing 1-0. But for me, that was the most useful thing of that game.
“We continued, even though we couldn’t score until the 65th minute. We continued believing, we continued to move the ball and make the space, until finally we scored three goals.”
The Hammers boss also indicated he would be looking to take all competitions seriously this campaign, including the Carabao Cup, as he searches to win a trophy with the Irons.
“I think, when you can win a trophy for a club, it’s a big trophy. Especially in England, if you win this cup or the FA Cup, you go to Wembley to do it, with 100,000 people applauding your team. Always, it will be important for us to win a title.”
‘Wolves believe in Nuno’s teachings’
Both West Ham and this weekend’s opponents, Wolves, head into this game looking for a first Premier League win of the season.
Pellegrini watched from afar last season and could see the good work being done at Wolverhampton Wanderers, and is impressed with how Nuno has his team playing at Molineux Stadium.
The Chilean said: “When I was out in China, I was always seeing what was happening in England and the Premier League. Nuno has done very good work in Wolverhampton, not only because of the promotion, but because of the points they won in the Championship, which is a very difficult competition.
Nuno has done very good work in Wolverhampton, not only because of the promotion, but because of the points they won in the Championship, which is a very difficult competition.
Manuel Pellegrini
“After that, I’ve seen the three games they’ve already played, and they are a team that believe in what they do, and they are continuing in the same way that they did last season.
“I think the team must play in the way they work every day and Wolverhampton seem to play against every team in the same way. That’s the merit of their manager.”
The manager admits that the Premier League will prove to be a tough competition this campaign due to the transfer fees every club is able to spend, but it is this scenario that makes the English top flight one of the most enjoyable.
He continued: “Every team has money to bring in good players. You must understand that every game is difficult because every team has good players.
“Every team has money to continue bringing in good players also, and this is why the Premier League is the most equal league in the world, but it’s also the best one.”
‘Our points need to come at home’
Having been beaten in the only other home game so far this season by AFC Bournemouth, Pellegrini recognised the importance of his side collecting wins at London Stadium.
The West Ham boss admitted mistakes we made in the match with the Cherries, but is eager for his side to play to the best of their ability come Saturday’s game.
“This is our second game at home and we lost the first one, so of course we must win this one,” he said. “We knew, before the season started, that we would have a tough start, playing two big teams away, so our points would need to come at home. Once, we made a mistake, but now we cannot allow that to be repeated.
“I think every game in the Premier League, you must expect exactly the same. All teams have good players and all of them play well, so if we don’t play with 100 per cent intensity, high concentration and good play then it will be difficult to win.”
However, the boss says he is not feeling any pressure, as the high standards he sets himself mean he will always feel responsible for his side earning points.
He added: “For me, the pressure is exactly the same. If we had started the season winning the three games, I would feel exactly the same pressure, because of the pressure I put on myself to win points.
“If you don’t have points, maybe the pressure from the media to have points is bigger, but for me the pressure is always the same.”
‘We have the squad we need’
With the transfer window due to close around Europe tomorrow, on Friday 31 August, Pellegrini revealed that he does not expect any further players to depart the club on loan.
Midfielder Josh Cullen completed a season-long loan move to Charlton Athletic on Thursday, but the manager expects his departure to be the last.
“I said last week that the squad is ready. Today, Josh Cullen has gone for a loan to another team, Charlton Athletic, because he needs more games. But he’s a young player. The squad is complete.”
The window closed for Premier League teams ahead of the opening weekend of the season, but Pellegrini is happy with the team he has built, saying he does not feel he would have added more players even if he could.
“I think we have the squad that I wanted for this season,” Pellegrini added. “There are a lot of players that can also be another option, but in the moment, you have to choose one of them.
“I think we have the correct squad and I’ll continue believing in all the players. In this moment, we have the squad we need. If the window was open and we could bring in other players, I don’t think I need to.”