West Ham manager Slaven Bilic believes that midfielder Dimitri Payet was singled out for criticism by some Hammers fans after his display against Everton last weekend.
Writing in his column for the Evening Standard, Bilic said that even the best players in the world like Cristiano Ronaldo have off days and that the displays would be highlighted if they perform below their normally high standards:
“It seemed like Dimitri Payet was singled out for criticism from some supporters. Every big player has that burden of expectation because they set a high standard. They are the ones who have to produce and it is hard for them to do that week in and week out.”
“It’s the same with all the great players. If Cristiano Ronaldo doesn’t produce for a couple of games, then questions are asked around the football world, not only in Madrid.”
Bilic and West Ham supporters will be hoping that Payet is back to his absolute best when they face Stoke City at the London stadium on Saturday afternoon. Despite Stoke’s awful start to the season where they lost five of their opening six matches, they find themselves five places above the Hammers in 12th place, two points ahead with 12 points.
A win tomorrow would however mean West Ham would leapfrog the Potters heading into the internationals. Strikers Andy Carroll and Diafra Sakho are expected to return for the Tottenham match on November 19th after the two week break.
