Be afraid Spurs because your West Ham bogeyman Michail Antonio is on fire in training ahead of this weekend’s huge derby.
After the 1-1 draw with Chelsea, West Ham will head to north London for a clash with bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur this Sunday.
Tottenham are like a box of frogs at times this season. Having beaten Man City, Spurs went and got a 4-1 hiding at Leicester at the weekend. And they followed that up with a 1-0 defeat to AC Milan in the Champions League last 16 on Tuesday night.
That will give the Hammers great encouragement ahead of their meeting with Antonio Conte’s unpredictable side on Sunday.
Like West Ham, Spurs have several players out injured for the match.
But with their ridiculous attacking options, Tottenham are always a threat despite their inconsistent performances.
One player who relishes playing Spurs is Hammers forward Antonio.
The Jamaican has a superb record against Tottenham, scoring six goals and laying on one assist in 13 games against West Ham’s rivals.
Antonio also made history at Tottenham’s fantastic new stadium back in 2019 by becoming the first player to score against them at their shiny new home when he slammed a half-volley past the despairing dive of Hugo Lloris in a famous 1-0 win.
Prior to that London derby at the new ground, Spurs had not conceded a single goal in their first four games there.
But while Harry Kane is consistently near the top of the scoring charts, the goals have dried up somewhat for Antonio over the last year and he has scored just twice in the Premier League so far this season.
It looks as though a game against Spurs focuses the mind for the Hammers forward, though.
Be afraid Spurs because your West Ham bogeyman Antonio is on fire in training ahead of the huge derby.
West Ham have posted a video from training ahead of the Tottenham clash and Antonio is looking ridiculously sharp.
The striker can be seen scoring all manner of goals and pulling off some excellent skill as he blends some powerful finishes with a series of uncharacteristically composed strikes.
One goal just after the four-minute mark in the video sees Antonio get a round of applause, shouts of ‘Bravo’ from Italian defender Angelo Ogbonna and praise from assistant coach Paul Nevin, who lauded his ‘great feet’.
When Antonio is in the kind of mood on display in the training video – which you can watch below – he takes some stopping.
Let’s hope he carries that form and confidence into the game against Spurs with the pressure on in West Ham’s battle for survival.
Ahead of the game West Ham captain Declan Rice has declared that his side will not be scared of Tottenham despite their renowned counter-attacking threat.
Receive a digest of our best West Ham content each week direct to your mailbox
