West Ham boss Slaven Bilic insists a top-four finish in the Premier League is
now a realistic ambition.
A 1-0 victory over Tottenham on Wednesday has left
the sixth-placed Hammers just one point adrift of the Champions League spots
with Saturday's visit to Everton the first of their
remaining 10 matches this season.
Bilic admits the club's position in the table justifies talk
of claiming a coveted berth in the top four, but is also cautious over setting
his sights too high.
"It is realistic now. We are one point behind with 10
games to go so we have a chance," Bilic said.
"But it's so tight and there are still a lot of games
to go. Of course we are looking above us because we are very close to those
places.
"We are also looking below us because there are teams
who are queuing up. The gap is not big between us and ninth or 10th in the
table."
The precious victory over London rivals Tottenham,
whose title hopes were dented in the process, did not come without cost as defender James Collins is set to miss the next three games
with a hamstring injury.
"Losing James is a big blow for us. He's been
marvellous all season. He's a great player and a great presence," Bilic
said.
"On Thursday it didn't look that bad but unless
something very positive happens, he'll miss three games. He's being scanned,
but it looks like he'll be back after the next international break."
Michail Antonio's seventh-minute header sealed a memorable
win at Upton Park and Bilic's only regret is that there is not more time to
savour the moment.
"Beating Tottenham was great, but the bad thing was
that we couldn't enjoy it, not even for a few days because we have another game
so quickly," Bilic said.
"Sometimes after those wins you'd prefer to have an
international break so that you can enjoy it for a week at least.
"We play Everton so we have to put it to bed, but that
result has given everyone at the club confidence.
"Everton are amazing on paper and are one of the best
teams in the league with so much quality. For me it's a surprise they have won
only four home games this season."
Bilic continues to bang the England drum for Hammers captain
Mark Noble and defender Aaron Cresswell, who he
believes should be included in Roy Hodgson's squad for Euro 2016 this summer.
"For six years I was a manager of a really good
national team and people were telling me this and that," Bilic said.
"I didn't mind that, but it looks like from the outside
like I'm giving lessons to the national team manager.
"But Mark Noble is having a fantastic season and I
haven't seen many midfielders perform so consistently at such a high level.
"I said a couple of months ago that Noble and Aaron
Cresswell should be mentioned, not just in the papers, because they deserve it.
Mark should be in and also Cresswell."
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