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West Ham team leak: Manuel Pellegrini revelation ahead of Everton clash
WEST HAM manager Manuel Pellegrini has insisted he is “not angry” that his team selections are being revealed before games.
For 89 consecutive games, the Hammers line-up has been revealed online by Twitter user @ExWHUemployee.
The club are reportedly growing frustrated at the situation, however, and believe the source may come from a worker at the training ground, according to The Guardian.
However, @ExWHUemployee claims he gets most information from another unnamed Twitter account, and merely predicts the rest of the line-up.
Asked about his reported frustration regarding the issue, Pellegrini said: “It’s not true – I’m not angry about that.
“I’m not aware of the team being leaked. In every team I have managed, the day before the game I work the set pieces so all the players know the day before who will play and who will not.
“So many players can talk with others and I am not keeping the starting XI three or four hours before the game. We work every day so there are a lot of reasons why people can know the team.”
Having lost their first four league games, the “leaks” are now being viewed as a disadvantage to the club.
But the Chilean coach insisted: “I don’t have any idea and I don’t worry about that.
I am more confident than ever
“I worry about trying to win the three points, I don’t think it’s the most important thing.
“If you’re going to play against Chelsea, Watford or Liverpool, you are sure it will be the same starting XI as they played the last game and they play exactly the same way. I don’t hide too much about the starting XI.”
If West Ham are defeated by Everton on Saturday, it will be the first time in their history they have lost the first five games of a league season.
Pellegrini played down worries at the London Stadium, however, saying: “I have been in this position before. I started with Villarreal and we had three points from the first 15 and we finished third in the table.
“After that with Málaga when I arrived in the first season, the team was in the relegation zone. We lost five or six games in a row but we continued in the same way.
“We were improving every day a little bit more until the results arrived. I am more confident than ever.”