West Ham United assistant manager Billy McKinlay spoke at length with the media on Wednesday ahead of facing Viborg in the first leg of the play-off qualifying round of the Europa Conference League.
The Hammers play host to the Danish side at the London Stadium, with the winner of the two-legged affair booking a place into the group stages of the competition.
Here is every word McKinlay said on team news, transfers, the signing of Thilo Kehrer, suspensions to Declan Rice, David Moyes and Aaron Cresswell, Gianluca Scamacca and more.
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Are you hoping to go one step further than last season?
Last season was a terrific season for everyone connected with the club. Unfortunately, we fell a bit short at the end which is disappointing but it was a terrific adventure. This is a competition we are very much looking forward to and hopefully we can do well.
How big a blow is Declan Rice’s absence?
It is a big blow. Declan’s level of play speaks for itself. disappointing but something we have to overcome and we have lots of replacements who can come in and do a good job. Hopefully it won’t impact us too much.
Who is likely to replace him and who will start as captain?
We have got a number of players, [Manuel] Lanzini, [Tomas] Soucek, [Flynn] Downes, [Conor] Coventry, we have two or three who can come in and fill the void. Not quite sure the captaincy at the moment with Aaron suspended as well as he normally takes over from Declan. That is a decision we will make closer to the game.
What have you made of the opening two defeats of the season?
Not having points on the board is disappointing. I felt on Sunday that was an opportunity missed. In terms of the performance, we should have got something from the game. Not the ideal start in terms of points but the performance levels are improving and hopefully we can put that to rights soon enough.
What is the latest on Nayef Aguerd’s injury?
He will still be medium to long term. Don’t want to put an exact time on it but he will not be available for the foreseeable future. I think he is progressing well but that is something that will take a bit of time.
What kind of player is Thilo Kehrer and what will he bring?
He will bring a number of things. In no particular order he has got good experience, versatile, played at a high level for PSG and Germany, so we think he can bring a number of things to the group. We are looking forward to having him on board.
Are you happy with the players you have bought in or would you like further additions?
We have made some very good acquisitions. We worked really hard to get the right players in and feel we have done that. It will take a bit of time for them to settle so we are aware of that. always a bit of room for manoeuvre in terms of now and the end of the window. I think there might be bits and pieces to do but nothing concrete.
Do you see Thilo Kehrer as a centre-back or right-back?
A bit of everything really. He has played predominantly full-back for the national team. Last season played most of the games at centre back for PSG. We feel we have got a really good acquisition to the squad and with the number of games we have got before Christmas and coming up progressing in Europe, he will be able to add to us in a number of areas
You have made six signings so far? Are more additions still needed?
Maybe. We have lost a few on loan and four at the end of the season. Certainly not overrun with numbers in terms of the squad in that sense so we made some good acquisitions and if the opportunity comes up for us to add to that then I am sure we will look at it.
Is the game a good chance to hand starts to your new signings?
Possibly. Gianluca and Maxwel have not played a lot of football so we have to be aware of that. Just throwing them into the Premier League against Manchester city and Nottingham Forest away with the hype of that game. I don’t think that was the right thing to do, especially in Gianluca’s case, coming to a new country. Reasons why they weren’t available because of that but they are in contention.
What is the best way to approach this game with the potential of a banana skin?
That’s something the manager does in every game regardless of whether it is perceived to be an easier game or not. Since the Nottingham Forest game on Sunday we have been glued to the videos of Viborg and the reports. There is no way we will deal with it in any other way than we do with a normal game. We are well prepared, know as much as we can and there will no complacency. We will have to go and play well to get the right result. They have some good qualities and a nice style about them.
Are there any disciplinary lessons to be learned with the fact that David Moyes, Declan Rice and Aaron Cresswell are all suspended?
It was a very, very emotional night. A huge game for everybody. It is easy to sit here and say we shouldn’t do this or that. We all know that. The stakes were high, it was a highly charged game. We are human. We can make allowances for that a bit. We have lost our captain and vice-captain and our manager. But the manager will still be preparing the team this week and have a big influence. Up to us to deal with that loss but it was such a big game for everybody that circumstances, things happen, just have to deal with it.
Is the midweek break away from the Premier League a good chance to get a win and kick-start the season?
Probably. We need that first win of the season ASAP and tomorrow is the next best opportunity. When you have lost a game, any game, you want to get back on the horse right away. We got used to playing Sunday-Thursday last year the whole season but it is something we are used to and hopefully we can get it kick-started this season.
Is there any added pressure given your recent form?
No you're always under pressure to win. We're a big club with big support, we've got demanding supporters and a demanding manager. Pressure on every game.
Is signing six new players a sign of intent?
We really enjoyed it last season, and not from a tourist point of view, far from it. We're hungry and expecting to win games and do well in competitions. That's the club growing. The new additions will take a bit of time to bed in. We feel short, medium and long term they will add something to the team and continue our progression over the last two years.
Is this a reward for your success last season?
We are desperate to get into the group stages. We finished seventh with is a terrific achievement and that's where we at in terms of qualification. The reward, it is what it is. We're here to win games of football and tomorrow night match is a competition we want to do well in.
Are there any fresh injury concerns?
No everyone's OK. We have a full squad apart from the long-termers and the two who are suspended.
How is Gianluca Scamacca adapting to West Ham United life so far?
He's settled in very well. He's been impressive the last couple of weeks in training. He looks a good technician, he's a good reference in terms of the profile and the style of player. Looks a powerful boy, a good finisher, we think he's going to bring good attributes and good competition. We've lacked a bit of that over the past year, Antonio's done an unbelievable job and we've asked him to do probably more than we should have one. We think Gianluca come in and complement that. Terrific individual qualities and a good team player as well. He looks like he's enjoying himself and he'll be a good asset.
What does he need to change to be have success in the Premier League?
The Premier League is the most physical league in Europe probably so he'll have to come to terms with that. I'm sure he will. In terms of his quality we saw enough to bring him to the club, and since he's been here we've seen enough to suggest he's going to be a good player for us. Hopefully he'll adapt quickly but it's not easy.
Has having another Italian in Angelo Ogbonna helped him to settle?
Looks like Angelo's got a new friend, normally everyone keeps away from him. He's settled in really well, speaks good English and Angelo has ben more than helpful.
What do you think playing more minutes will do for him?
I think he is obviously short of a little bit of match fitness, I think there’s an element of having to be fair to the players when they come in. We can’t just throw them in and ask them to re-invent the wheel after they’ve been in the door five minutes, there’s a little bit of that. He’s been doing a lot of work so he’s been getting his fitness up, which he hadn’t done over the summer. He’s getting ready to come and sample it pretty soon and we think he’s physically pushing towards that. Minutes will help, of course.
How is Angelo Ogbonna’s injury and when is he expected to be back?
Angelo has been back, pushing more so probably the last three of weeks. I think he’s played a couple of under-23s games, so he’s been training well and he’s hopefully not too far away, which will be a big boost for us.
Is this a good chance to rotate and rest some of your players, despite not wanting to be complacent?
I agree with that. I’m not sure that would constitute complacency, I think we’ve got international players across the board that, whether they are in the team or not, will see themselves as first-team players. It’s not always a case of if they are not playing, they are dropped or second choice, that is not the case. There is a number of games, and various reasons why we change them, so we think we’ve got a number of players that are capable of playing any given day. Complacency certainly won’t be in our mindset.
Is Declan Rice’s two-match UEFA ban almost a godsend to give him a rare rest?
That’s one of way of looking at it, you’ve got to look at every scenario, whether it be good or bad. He’s obviously not going to play tomorrow night which will give him an extra day in terms of that. I don’t think he had the amount of time he would have hoped, the same as the rest of the international boys in the summer. He’s been training the last couple of days so a little bit of rest will be a positive from not playing. We look forward to getting him back in on Sunday.
You would rather have David Moyes with you, but do you and the rest of the coaching staff enjoy the added responsibility in his absence?
I’m not so sure about that. He is a big presence about the place, the manager, so we will have to deal with that. The instructions will be the same, we know how he works, we know what he wants, we know what messages to relay to the players so hopefully, it won’t have too big an impact.
Like on Arsenal’s All or Nothing documentary where Mikel Arteta did a team talk via zoom, will David Moyes do the same?
I’ve not seen the Arsenal programme so I can’t comment on that. I won’t be watching it for a number of reasons. I don’t know if he will do that. We will get enough information into the players and we will probably get the organisation done quickly, who does what, in the build up to the game.
Has there been any talk of who the penalty taker will be with Declan Rice suspended?
We will get that decided, again. I think we’ve got a number, Manu Lanzini has got a good record of taking penalty kicks, Aaron [Cresswell] is obviously suspended. We’ll get that tidied up as well.
Is Gianluca Scamacca the kind of player to put himself forward, having never missed one before?
I’m sure he will be. All centre forwards will want to take the opportunity to score a goal. We just need to get him on the pitch first.
Was Thilo Kehrer signed in time to be in contention?
I think so, I think he is available. We will see how he settles in and see how he is, get a little bit of feedback from him. How he feels physically and what he has done. Again, that will be a decision that will be made in the next 24 hours.
Has he trained at all today?
He has done a little bit this morning so we will see how he is like after that.
Craig Dawson and Flynn Downes did not train this morning? How are they?
Craig has still got a problem with his quad, he’s missed a few weeks I think. He’s probably a little bit [sidelined] short term. Flynn has just had a little issue with his toe, but he should be fine. It was just a precaution, no issue with that.
Will David Moyes be allowed to communicate with the team ahead of the game?
I don’t think so, unless we get the wheelie bins out.
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