David Moyes admits West Ham still have a lot to prove before they can break into the so-called ‘big six’.
Moyes guided the Hammers to a sixth-placed finish last season, above both Tottenham and Arsenal who were among the clubs attempting to join a breakaway European Super League in April.
A win over Spurs on Sunday would lift them back above their London rivals, who were beaten at Vitesse Arnhem in the Europa Conference League while West Ham were overcoming Genk 3-0 in the Europa League.
But Moyes insisted: “We’ve got a bit to go yet, before we should get all the plaudits and recognition.
“We’ve had one season at it. I need to try and get consistency at West Ham, I’d like to try and qualify for European football again if we can.
“There is a task, because there’s so many good teams in the Premier League at the moment and Tottenham are one of them.
“So we have a lot to prove yet before we get lots of plaudits but the only plaudits I would give is to say that the players here are doing such a good job.
“They have great spirit among them, they go into every game with a level of confidence and self-belief that we think we can go and win.
“So from that point of view, we’ll keep trying it and we’ll keep trying to push on and get results.”
Spurs boss Nuno Espirito Santo left his entire first team at home for the midweek trip to Holland, presumably with their visit to the London Stadium in mind, while Moyes started some of his key men like Declan Rice, Tomas Soucek and Jarrod Bowen.
He added: “I can’t speak for Nuno. I wanted to continue to keep good momentum within the club and I want to try and challenge on all fronts if I can.
“We’ve had this before, we’ve had European games before (matches) and then we’ve lost a goal in the last minute in two of them, so we’re mindful of it.
“But strangely enough I felt that I was happy to play the players. Maybe the momentum, maybe the regular football might just be better for them.
“Those teams like Tottenham have been in Europe much longer and more often than we have in recent seasons.
“So maybe they understand more than we do, but at the moment I want my team to win in Europe and I want them to win in the Premier League and I’m trying my best to get that balance right if I can.”
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