Taylor: Spurs are not a one-man team

Matthew Taylor insists West Ham should concentrate on their own game
25 February 2013

West Ham midfielder Matthew Taylor has urged his team-mates not to spend too long thinking about Gareth Bale when Tottenham visit Upton Park on Monday.

Bale has been one of the top players in the Barclays Premier League this season, with the 23-year-old already hitting 21 goals across all competitions.

"The main thing for us on Monday night is to try and worry about ourselves," he said. "We understand that Tottenham have got lots of fantastic players and they are a great team but we're not bad ourselves."

He added: "Everybody's talking about Gareth Bale because he's playing well and scoring goals. He's one of a number of players that we're going to try to have shackle on Monday night to get a good result.

"I wouldn't want to suggest that Tottenham are a one-player team because they're not.

"They've got lots and lots of exceptional players and we've got to make sure that we keep as close an eye on those players as we can, but also go and do our stuff as and when we get the chance."

Spurs go into the match sitting fourth in the Premier League and with a Europa League tie against Inter Milan on the horizon.

A last-gasp strike from Moussa Dembele sealed their progression at the expense of Lyon on Thursday night, but Taylor remains confident West Ham can secure the three points and haul themselves up to 11th spot.

"They are on a high now from the Europa League progression into the last 16, so it's going to be a difficult game for us," he said. "It's a local derby and we want to overturn what was a disappointing result at Tottenham. Everybody at the club at the moment is in a positive frame of mind and in good spirits, and that for me is a fantastic thing.

"Everyone's full of confidence and morale is high, so hopefully we've got a good end to the season coming up."

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