The Times - UK (2022-04-28)

(Antfer) #1
66 Thursday April 28 2022 | the times

SportFootball


West Ham v Eintracht Frankfurt

(possible 3-4-2-1)
Eintracht Frankfurt

West Ham United
(possible 4-2-3-1)

Europa League semi-final, first leg
Kick-off 8pm TV BT Sport 1 Radio talkSPORT

Ref: S Gozubuyuk (Neth)

L Fabianski

K Trapp

V Coufal K ZoumaC Dawson A Cresswell

F Kostic S Rode D Sow A Knauff

T Soucek D Rice

J Lindstrom D Kamada

P Fornals

M Antonio

J Bowen M Lanzini

M Hinteregger Tuta A Touré

R S Borré

When asked about Oliver Glasner, co-
workers and players often use the same
word: clear. The 47-year-old Austrian
coach, who has led Eintracht Frankfurt
to a Europa League semi-final, has a
clear plan, a clear choice of words and
a general clarity in his actions.
He may lack the extroversion of Jür-
gen Klopp, and the German football
magazine 11 Freunde once commented
that Glasner possesses the “mild smile
of a prime minister” — but he has a
natural ability to connect with others.
Glasner rides an e-scooter around
Frankfurt, where he sits in trendy res-

Glasner has


a plan – and


an e-scooter


Constantin Eckner

Mark Noble has said that even the
lure of Champions League football
would not make him postpone his
impending retirement.
The midfielder joined West Ham
United aged 11 and has played for them
564 times. Now club captain at 34, he is
preparing to bow out in the summer —
and hoping to do so on a high.
David Moyes’s side face Eintracht
Frankfurt tonight in the first leg of their
Europa League semi-final. The final is
in Sevilla next month, and victory there
would earn them a spot in next season’s
Champions League.
“Winning the Europa League and
lifting the trophy, would I come back?
No,” Noble said. “To end on that would
be pretty special. I was joking with the
lads the other day, saying if that did
happen, I’d happily come watch the

I’ll still retire if we win cup, insists Noble


Champions League games with the Eu-
ropa League trophy on the next chair.”
Noble broke down in tears after his
side’s previous ties against Sevilla and
Lyon, as he did not think at the start of
the season that his farewell tour
would include beating European
heavyweights. “I’m quite an emotional
person,” he said. “Did I imagine this?
Yes. Did I think this would happen?
Probably not.
“It’s not over yet. Winning the
competition would be life-changing for
all these players. I’ve given my life to
this club through the bad times and the
good times. It would be a really good
payback for the fans, because we have
had some tough times.”
Moyes, the West Ham manager,
wants Noble to stay with the club in a
role to be determined next season, and
he has considered becoming a sporting
director. He will make a decision after a

family holiday in the summer. “My son’s
in the academy, I know the staff from
top to bottom, I know the academy
players, nearly all of them by name,
and my affiliation will always be
strong,” he said.
West Ham’s fears over their depleted
back line have been eased by the news
that Kurt Zouma has returned to light
training after an ankle problem and Issa
Diop’s similar injury is not as bad as
feared. Still, Moyes said that he would
not rush either player back.
Of a first European semi-final for
West Ham since 1976, Moyes said: “To
bring West Ham from where it’s been,
to where we are today, is huge. West
Ham, we’ve now got a really good
stadium, a fantastic crowd, and I hope
we can show what we’ve got as well.
“There’s been a much better
togetherness between the supporters
and the players.”

Gary Jacob

W


e can feel the
excitement and
anticipation building
before West Ham
United’s biggest
meetings in living memory. We
are two matches from reaching
the Europa League final and
another from lifting the trophy and
qualifying for the Champions League.
It is incredible and could be an
unimaginable feeling in a few weeks’
time. We have dreamt of this moment
all season and no one in the squad
will take Eintracht Frankfurt lightly
in the semi-final.
I could hardly sleep after we beat
Lyon in the second leg of the quarter-
final a fortnight ago and I will not be
complaining if I feel the same after
the second leg in Frankfurt.

After we won 3-0 in Lyon I was
called for a doping test.
It was maybe the seventh occasion
this season. I said to the medical staff,
“Why is it always me? They don’t
trust me!” I had to laugh, but I was
unhappy because I wanted to
celebrate with the guys in the
dressing room. I swigged a
bottle of water with
Vladimir Coufal, my
Czech compatriot, and it
took us two hours to
produce a urine
sample. I collected
my hoodie and
some fans were
still at the
stadium and
began singing
my name. It felt
incredible.
We had to stay
overnight and
everyone cheered
when Vlad and I
walked into the
team hotel.
David Moyes,

Going to a musical was a good way
to switch off from football for a few
hours and bond with team-mates. We
could not do that during the
pandemic. Afterwards we went to
dinner together with our wives in
nearby Chinatown and spoke about
life and people.
The banter inside a dressing room
can be ruthless. The English players
like, for example, to hide shoes and
other items of clothing and upload
the video of team-mates searching for
them to our WhatsApp group. The
group is also a good way for players
who are injured or do not travel to
feel included.

When I joined the club in 2020,
Andriy Yarmolenko invited me to sit
next to him in the dressing room.
We have forged a close friendship
and speak about things going on in
the world. He and his family have had
a hard couple of months experiencing
the war in his native Ukraine. He
initially had a week off and big
respect for him that, when he came
back, he scored the winner against
both Aston Villa and Sevilla. It was a
nice story. He deserved the acclaim.
Mark Noble really helped me to
settle in when I joined. We want to be
successful for him in his last playing
season. He can speak about the
changes at the club — and what he
has done has been incredible. When
we ask him how long he has been
here, he replies, “Many, many years.”

We went to see the musical


‘Tina’ – the lads sang along


the manager, allowed us one beer and
we raised a cup with everyone around
the table. We spoke about the game,
how we felt and joked with each other
and the gaffer.
I have a good connection with the
gaffer and we had banter before my
Czech Republic side played Scotland
at Euro 2020. We won, of course, and
I rubbed it in when we met again in
pre-season, saying, “It was a really
easy win and I didn’t break sweat.”
He was a little angry with the result
but laughed.

I often suffer nasty cuts to my face
and head.
When I return home my wife,
Natalia, asks, “Why is it always you?”
She is a little scared. I have had to
wear a bandage in matches but that
did not hinder me when I leapt to
level the scores in the round-of-16 tie
with Sevilla.
I am prone to facial injuries
because I have done everything to the
maximum from a young age and
football is about fighting against your
opponent, not only running and
playing with the ball.
If I can take cuts to prevent us from
conceding or losing, I know the scars
will heal. During our win at Goodison
Park in October, I suffered several
facial cuts and had to have plastic
surgery on my lips so it would not
show in future. Three days later I was
back out there again.

The players and staff watched Tina
— The Tina Turner Musical at the
Aldwych Theatre in
London recently.
Many of us knew the
words and sang along.
My favourite song is
Simply the Best, which
is often played in the
dressing room.
Declan Rice likes
to be the DJ but
mostly it is the first
player who plugs
in their phone who
leads the music. I
save listening to
Czech songs for
when I am in the
car or at home.
Nobody here
would know them.

It was a special feeling when my
header went in against Sevilla.
The explosion of noise at the
London Stadium was something I’ve
experienced only twice in my life —
the other being when Slavia Prague
beat Sevilla with a goal one minute
from the end of extra time in the
competition in 2019.
The fans have produced an
incredible atmosphere that has
helped us to score, gain energy and go
through. I love to be connected with
them. After we beat Chelsea 3-2 in
December, I wanted to express my
thanks and ran topless along the side
of the stadium, slapping hands with
the first row of fans.
The atmosphere will be even better
next season, when the capacity goes
up by 2,500 to 62,500.

When we beat Chelsea in
December, I went to the crowd and
handed my shirt to my mother’s
cousin Pavel.
He was among those who
supported me when I was young and
I always remember that. Another was
my grandfather Frantisek, who
turned 80 around the time he came
to watch me play here for the first
time in February, against
Wolverhampton Wanderers. I turned
27 that day and scored the winner,
dedicating it to him. We celebrated
together at home.
Frantisek used to share the duties
with my parents in driving me when I
was young, for two hours several
times a week, for training at Slavia.
Tonight I’ll be supported by my sister,
her fiancé, my wife and my three-
year-old daughter, Tereza, if we can
get her to sleep during the day so she
is ready. Recently we have been able
to explore London more, visiting the
Lego Store and London Zoo, and I am
spotted by fans.

I began the season by being
honoured with the Jan Masaryk
Silver Medal.
It is in recognition for my
contribution to developing relations
between the Czech Republic and the
UK. I wanted to lead out the Czechs
at the World Cup finals but we lost to
Sweden in the play-offs in March.
Winning the Europa League would
make up for that.

West Ham midfielder


Tomas Soucek gives a


special insight into the


mood at his club before


European semi-final


Soucek displays the cuts he suffered
after receiving a boot to the face
against Everton, above, and enjoys
exchanging banter with Moyes, below

Soucek
celebrates after
levelling the
Sevilla tie 1-1
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