Bilic suggested the side wasn’t playing with enough intensity following their hammering at the hands of Arsenal last weekend.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic has explained his comments about his side lacking intensity, but has said it is down to the injury problems they have rather than the work of any of his staff, he wrote in his column for the London Evening Standard.
His comments in the wake of the Hammers’ 5-1 defeat to Arsenal raised a few eyebrows, with the result currently leaving the side a point above the relegation zone.
Bilic wrote in his Evening Standard column: “I would take this opportunity for the first time since then to make one thing clear, though: when I talked about the loss of intensity, some people thought I was pointing a finger at my staff.
“That was wrong. I think I said, four or five times, that it is me and it is my job to take responsibility. Believe me, we’re not having a jolly-up in training… no, no, no, it’s not like that.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic
“The main reason why we lost that intensity is that we have had so many injuries all in a small space of time. Then, because we had three games in a week, we had to balance things, not walk on egg-shells exactly, but to be careful in training.”
Some may have seen the comments as a way to try and shift blame, or Bilic being able to analyse the situation but not address it.
It had been a pretty difficult week for West Ham. They started that particular week with a 1-1 draw against Manchester United before losing 4-1 to them a few days later in the EFL Cup, before Arsenal proved to have too much for them in the closing stages of their clash and running out 5-1 winners.
Injuries have taken their toll. It was a blow for them to lose Diafra Sakho until the New Year after he had opened the scoring at Old Trafford. Aaron Cresswell, Michail Antonio and Cheikhou Kouyate have all been sidelined – while James Collins limped off in the early stages of the Arsenal defeat.
Bilic may see one or two of those players return over the coming weeks, but he could do with getting some positive results on the board. This weekend he faces a trip to Anfield, which could prove to be another difficult test for his injury-hit squad.
West Ham United manager Slaven Bilic before the match
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