wicked.football

David Moyes spoke of his respect for Rafael Benitez ahead of taking West Ham to face Everton, before backing one of his players to find some form in front of goal.

Former Everton manager Moyes returns to Goodison Park on Sunday with his West Ham side. Both clubs are ambitious and are hoping to finish in the top half by the end of the season. There is a long way to go yet, though, so it is a case of one step at a time.

West Ham went into the international break on the back of a defeat to Brentford. Therefore, they are aiming to get back on track as they return against an Everton side three points above them in the table.

Moyes knows, though, that the events of the break mean he will not have a full-strength selection available.

He told a pre-match press conference: “We have one or two injuries and one or two people coming back from international duty we’re having to look after. It looks like this break’s taken its toll on lots of teams.

“If I did have any nos, I wouldn’t tell you anyway! We might have some people who are unavailable.”

What Moyes was willing to divulge, in contrast, was how significant the match could be.

As someone who stood in the Everton technical area for more than a decade, he is all too aware of the stature of the opponent.

He said: “It is one of many important games. They are a really big club and it is a big game and a tough place to go.

“It will be a great atmosphere inside Goodison but we are really looking forward to it. We look as if we can score goals so we are looking forward to that.”

The man who occupies the hotseat at Goodison now is Benitez, who was on the other side of the Merseyside rivalry with Liverpool during Moyes’ days at Everton.

Benitez took charge of Everton over the summer in a controversial appointment, but has made a good start to his new job.

He has long since earned the respect of his opposite number Moyes, who added: “I have great respect for Rafa because of the level of clubs he’s managed.

“He did an exceptional job with Liverpool and made it really difficult for me when I was manager at Everton. Thankfully, by the end of my time there, we had got above them a couple of times!

“You don’t manage the clubs Rafa’s managed if you’re not very experienced and good at your jobs.”

The Analyst: Man United, Tottenham and Everton capable of comeback wins this weekend

Moyes makes Soucek suggestion

Turning his attention to individuals at his own disposal, Moyes spoke about powerful midfielder Tomas Soucek.

Two months have passed since Soucek’s last goal, despite him managing 10 last season. However, his manager is confident he will find his scoring touch again too to match his work rate.

He said: “I think Tomas gets the praise, certainly internally. We’re pushing him hard to get the goals that he got last year. We like his work ethic – we love his work ethic.

“He’s a real threat in the box as well so we’re hoping he can get a few more goals to go along with his high running stats.

“Tomas will get his goals as the season goes on. Declan Rice has got other attributes which will get him goals as well, so I’m hoping we end up with two midfield players with good goal returns this season.”

Usually, the goalscoring burden falls on centre-forward Michail Antonio, who already has six strikes to his name in all competitions this season.

Antonio avoided travelling to Jamaica, for whom he made his international debut earlier this year, during the recent break. As such, Moyes believes he will be ready to pick up from where he left off.

The coach claimed: “I think he has been firing on all cylinders and I hope he’s well rested and has got some good training in.

“He chose not to go with Jamaica in the end because he felt that some of the logistics weren’t correct, and we’re hoping he can continue with the good form he’s been in since the beginning of the season.”

READ MORE – EXCLUSIVE: Tottenham, West Ham want giant keeper excelling in France

The post Moyes offers honest view of Benitez; backs West Ham man to end drought appeared first on TEAMtalk.