West Ham manager Nuno Espírito Santo has urged his players to ignore the distraction of Tottenham Hotspur’s game against Everton this weekend.
With West Ham needing not only to beat Leeds United but also requiring a favour from former boss David Moyes and his Toffees side, there is little doubt many supporters inside the London Stadium will be hammering the Wi-Fi trying to keep track of events in North London.
However, Nuno clearly does not want his players distracted by what is happening elsewhere.
Nuno Wants Full Focus On Leeds
The final round of Premier League fixtures has effectively become a straight shootout between West Ham and Tottenham for one remaining Premier League place.
But if Nuno’s squad thought they might be able to keep one eye on the battle between Moyes and Roberto De Zerbi, it appears the manager has other ideas.
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“Everybody’s going to be aware of what’s happening elsewhere. I hope our players ignore that, and focus on what’s happening on the pitch.
“It’s going to be tough.
“Leeds have had a good season, and we’ve played them twice.”
Atmosphere Could Affect Both Games
And honestly, he’s absolutely right.
West Ham simply have to do their own job first.
Obviously, I hope Tottenham play terribly and Everton somehow pull off the result we need.
But realistically, it’s hard to imagine the atmosphere and general tension around the ground not eventually filtering onto the pitch.
That said, it cuts both ways.
Because if somehow Spurs get wind of West Ham leading against Leeds, that could very quickly change the mood and atmosphere over in North London too.