Nuno on team news, VAR and being 'ready' for Newcastle
· Yahoo Sports
West Ham boss Nuno Espirito Santo has been speaking to the media before Sunday's Premier League game against Newcastle United at St James' Park (kick-off 17:30 BST).
Visit sweetbonanza.qpon for more information.
Here are the key lines from his news conference:
- On team news: "We have Adama [Traore] out for the game but the rest of the squad is good. He has a muscle injury - he is recovering but he was not available for Arsenal and he'll miss this one."
- Asked if Callum Wilson will be given more game time, Nuno said he will "decide tomorrow, for the team".
- On the Hammers' penultimate game this season: "Every game is a new game. I believe you keep your approach and the values are the same from the first round to the last round. Everything is going to be decided by the two rounds. If I give a rousing speech in the first round, I will give it in the last round as well. It will be the same."
- On the mental aspect of Sunday's game: "We knew some while ago that it [the relegation battle] will be decided now [in the last games]. Our job is to focus and prepare our players and get them ready for Sunday. That is our priority. We are ready, we are positive and we believe."
- He added: "Every game is a must win and nothing has changed. The importance of the points is the same. I hope the players stay focused, do their task and ignore the outside noise. What I try to give our players is confidence."
- Asked about the complaint West Ham filed over their late equaliser being disallowed against Arsenal, Nuno said: "We tried to find some answers with things we are concerned about. I suppose we [Premier League clubs] all compare similar situations and this is why we need consistency. I don't have time to think about the changes and finding solutions is not my problem. The referees must understand the needs of solving this doubt. I believe the Premier League and the referees will solve it."
- He added: "The job of the referees is really hard and difficult. VAR was supposed to help the referees. Is it helping? Is it creating more questions? I believe they can do better."
You can listen to match commentary on BBC Radio 5 Live at 17:30 on Sunday
Follow all of Friday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news
Got a question about West Ham? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts
[BBC]