Vladimir Coufal says West Ham players would love to ‘gift’ David Moyes victory in 1000th game
Vladimir Coufal has spoken of the West Ham players’ desire to mark David Moyes’ 1000th game in football management with victory on Thursday night.
The Scotsman takes charge of his landmark fixture as he takes his Hammers players to Belgium to face Genk in the Europa League – looking to secure passage to the last 32 with two games to spare. Moyes could also become the first manager to ever lead an English club to victory in their four opening Europa League matches without conceding.
And, on such a special occasion, right-back Coufal has uttered his and his colleagues’ desire to give their boss reason to smile (via the Independent).
“A thousand games is a huge success for him and for sure we would like to win and give him a good performance from us, like a birthday gift,” the Czech international stated. “So we want to do everything for him and to win tomorrow.”
Coufal went on to declare the importance of Thursday night’s clash in loosening the impetus on their two final group stage matches.
“That’s very important also for us, because our schedule is like unbelievable now, especially next month, so we can have one game less if we win the group,” he concluded. “So it’s a good bonus for us and we want to get this bonus.”
Deserving of a gift
Contrary to Steve Bruce a couple of weeks prior, David Moyes can really step into the dugout for the 1000th time with a beaming smile.
His second spell at West Ham has felt like vindication throughout. The Scotsman has thoroughly restored his reputation as a top class manager with top class ambition.
The transformation that he’s overseen at the Hammers has been remarkably rapid and stunningly seamless. Who even remembers Manuel Pellegrini dragging them into the mire early on in the 2019/20 campaign?
Now, West Ham are feared, emphatic and just joyous to watch. A beefy unit of collective responsibility, immovable defensive nous, passionate tenacity and moments of individual brilliance, they’re a team that have developed into something truly special.
Thursday night gives the Hammers to do something historic. A meaningful, crucial and famous victory at Genk is just the ‘gift’ that Moyes deserves.
In other West Ham news, the Hammers’ trip to Genk could be Vladimir Coufal’s chance to reassert his authority on the right-back position.