Slaven Bilic says West Ham ready to upset title contenders Tottenham
Saturday 23 September 2017 11:07, UK
Slaven Bilic admits Tottenham play the most attractive brand of football in the Premier League, but insists West Ham can upset their London rivals on Saturday.
After a difficult start to the season, West Ham are looking to build upon a recent upturn in form which has seen them keep three consecutive clean sheets, while winning two of their last three games.
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Spurs sit fifth in the table, five points off the pace, after a disappointing start to life at Wembley, where they have lost to Chelsea and drawn against Burnley and Swansea.
However their away form has been excellent, with convincing wins against Newcastle and Everton, and Bilic is expecting a tough test at the London Stadium this weekend.
"For me, they are the team that plays the most attractive football," Bilic said. "They are definitely one of the contenders to win the league.
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"They have energy, they have patterns, they have individual quality, they have got pace and they have got the team that they are building up for three years now.
"They are improving as a team and as a squad with new players - mostly young ones - and that for me, personally, makes them the best team, or the most attractive one definitely."
Bilic has a good home record against Spurs since taking over at West Ham in the summer of 2015, defeating Mauricio Pochettino's side 1-0 in March 2016 at the Boleyn Ground and again by the same scoreline at the London Stadium in May of last season.
The Hammers boss hopes those results can instil confidence in his players ahead of this weekend's London derby.
"It is a special atmosphere. We all remember those kinds of performances and atmospheres," Bilic said. "The fans and the players and everybody that was involved are talking for months after those games.
"We still remember the game in May or even the first when we came here in 2016 at Upton Park.
"Those are the patterns that we want to repeat during the game on Saturday, knowing that we are playing against a top team.
"But if we can repeat that kind of everything, because against them you have to have a complete performance, we have a chance."
