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Irons feeling the heat
West Ham’s sensational Europa League campaign is starting to take its toll according to boss David Moyes.
The Hammers held Lyon to a brave 1-1 draw in East London last night, despite playing the entire second half with 10 men after Aaron Cresswell’s 45th-minute red card.
It means a semi-final berth remains firmly within reach next Thursday — but first they must negotiate a tricky Premier League trip to Brentford on Sunday afternoon.
Moyes, 58, admits that having less than 72 hours to prepare for the Bees is far from ideal.
“I think the quick turnaround makes it difficult,” said the Scot. “But I have to give great praise for how the players have coped with it.
“From our point of view, we were able to cope earlier on because we split the team quite often in the early rounds [of the Europa League].
“Now we’re in the knockout rounds, you’re having to play all your main players to get results and that’s where it takes its toll. But we’re still in there fighting and enjoying it.
“We want to stay in Europe and to be there we have to perform well in the Premier League.”
Spurs relishing lighter schedule
Antonio Conte insists extra time on the training pitch has helped Tottenham turn their season around.
Wins in four of Spurs’ last five Premier League fixtures have helped reignite a top-four tilt and they will look to continue their good run at Aston Villa on Saturday evening.
The North Londoners were still competing on several fronts when the Italian initially took charge, including the Carabao Cup and Europa Conference League.
But a lighter schedule in recent weeks has proved to be extremely helpful according to the 52-year-old ex-Chelsea boss.
The Italian said: “For sure, to have more time, more days to work with your players is important. Especially because don’t forget I came in November this season and didn’t have the same time as other managers, the pre-season to build your team with players you wanted to sign in the summer.
“Honestly, to prepare a game every six or seven days instead of every two days changes things totally because you prepare with accuracy.
“For this reason, the team is improving and you can see that in our football now.”
