Manuel Pellegrini hails West Ham strength in depth ahead of Man City clash
Wednesday 27 February 2019 08:35, UK
Manuel Pellegrini hailed West Ham's strength in depth and insisted European qualification is still the target this season.
Pellegrini takes his side to the Etihad on Wednesday to take on a Manchester City side he managed to the Premier League title in 2014 during a three-year stay, with West Ham travelling north having got back to winning ways on Friday night against Fulham.
West Ham were provided with a further boost with the return of Manuel Lanzini on Friday, the Argentina international's first appearance of the season after tearing his ACL during the summer and Pellegrini, who has seen several key players ruled out for long spells this season, likes the way his options are starting to look.
"If you look at our bench on Friday there were some important names," Pellegrini said. "Pedro (Obiang), Samir Nasri, Manuel Lanzini, Marko Arnautovic, but not all of them are 100 per cent fit.
"But, if you get all of them in a good moment, we are in a good place. That is why we are working, that is why we are trying to achieve European football.
"We have been very unlucky with injuries over the season, not just the amount of injuries, but they have all been very very long. To be fighting for something, with seven or eight players out injured, is very good.
"Felipe Anderson is a very important player for us, and we have to be patient with him, but we have Grady Diangana, (Michail) Antonio, (Robert) Snodgrass, we have plenty of options.
"We have two games in 72 hours, but I think we can have a good starting XI in both games. I am not decided who will play in either game yet."
The victory over Fulham was West Ham's first in six games in all competitions, taking them up to ninth in the table, four points off seventh, which could become a Europa League qualification spot depending on who wins the FA Cup, and Pellegrini feels should they manage to keep climbing the table, qualifying for Europe will represent a successful season.
"It will be a very important achievement for the team, the players, for me, for everyone," Pellegrini added. "The only years I have worked here [in England], I have qualified for European football. We have option [to qualify] and that is why we need to play very well until the end of the season.
"We don't reach that achievement, we try again next season, as that is always the aim of this club to play in Europe."
