Thilo Kehrer has been full of praise for the work of teammate Michail Antonio, whose ninth European goal for West Ham United saw the No9 put his side on the cusp of a first major final in over 40 years.
Antonio was in the right place to poke home the Hammers' second goal on 76 minutes, earning a 2-1 win for the home side against AZ Alkmaar in the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-final first leg.
Successive wins for the Irons mean that confidence is high as they head to Brentford, a venue where the Irons reached the Emirates FA Cup fourth round earlier this year.
And Kehrer was quick to send plaudits the way of teammate Antonio, a player he admits has helped keep the Hammers heading in the right direction this season.
“Michail is working like crazy up front at the moment!” Kehrer laughed. “He is putting the defenders under stress and every game he is doing a very important job right now.
“He is scoring goals as well, so we are really happy that we have him. Mich is a great teammate. A great personality and positive energy. We all have a lot of jokes and laughs with him. He makes everyone have a good time and he is also a hard worker too.”
Kehrer, who helped West Ham to an eighth clean sheet of the league season against Manchester United last Sunday, was as impressive again four days later against AZ Alkmaar.
When the Irons fell behind to a first-half strike from Tijjani Reijnders, he kept his cool. His experience – a player who has featured in a UEFA Champions League final for Paris Saint-Germain in 2020 – was key in helping his side come from behind to secure a win for the fourth time in the UEFA Europa Conference League this season.
“We have a slight advantage, but we know it is not going to be an easy game in the second leg and we will have to leave everything out on the pitch next Thursday to get to the final,” Kehrer stated.
“I think we have to have a balance of putting a press on them and being controlled with and without the ball. Maybe we need to be a bit more clinical in the final third and better with the final pass or decision and then we have a good chance to create even more.
"But other than that, the game against AZ Alkmaar was a good game and we got the job done.”
Clearly then, the Germany international was proud that his side dug deep and such character will be crucial as the Hammers push on towards the end of intense fixture list.
Nine games have come and gone in April and May is similarly congested, with the schedule packed following the winter FIFA World Cup finals in Qatar in December.
But the focus remains. Brentford is the next on the calendar, and the No24 heads to west London in good spirits.
Kehrer explained: “We have a really strong togetherness and a team of great players, but the most important thing is that we stick together. We have gone through the hard times, but what is very important is that we have hit our best form for the big games. And we just have to keep on going now.
“We have a great team and a great belief in the way we work and the way we play. All of that is working and we feel the energy rising every game, and going towards the end of the season we are only getting better.”
