David Moyes says football will have to ‘look to the future’ after an accumulation in Covid’s cases means that West Ham’s London derby with Crystal Palace will now be played without fans.
Up to 2,000 enthusiasts were able to play football matches for the first time since March, when London first placed himself in point 2 after the blockade at the moment.
But after London’s move to Level 3 on Wednesday, West Ham’s match with Crystal Palace is one of the capital’s games that will now be played behind closed doors.
“The whole country is in the same situation. All other regions of the country are at point 3 and we all have to comply,” Moyes said.
“We want to get rid of this pandemic. We have to check to move forward and it’s very difficult. We only have to see green waves of recovery with followers returning to the field, but unfortunately not now. “
“Hopefully, it won’t take long. Hopefully we can go out to get through the Christmas age and maybe start hunting into the future. “
Moyes removes Michail Antonio from Wednesday night’s London derby
Antonio returned to but is still out of shape before the match at London Stadium.
“Michail comes, he’s back on the lawn, ” said Moyes.
“I think tomorrow’s game may come too soon for him. He’s coming in and we’re bringing him closer. We have to get it right, be fine with him. We miss him and we know him. “
While Antonio was still recovering from the injury and Sebastien Haller continued to fight for goals, Moyes inspired after giving Said Benrahma his first start in the 2–1 win over Leeds.
“Said did a lot of very clever things for us at Leeds the other night. It was a great component for us to get a positive result and the team played well,” Moyes said.
“I had to be patient because the team played well, however there was an opening that happened and gave me a chance to get started, so let’s see how it grows. I think with the number of matches to come, I’ll still want to manage it properly.
“I played 80 minutes the other night, probably a little more than I expected, but at the time it was 1-1 and I felt I could still create a purpose. Fortunately, they gave us the purpose that allowed me to let him go a little bit.
“I think he discovers his way and we are very happy with him. We’re looking to get him to premier league speed and get used to the grades we need him to play. “