West Ham United news: Michail Antonio explains why he thrives under pressure

Antonio went into detail about how pressure does not get to him and, in fact, he thrives under pressure

Michail Antonio of West Ham United in a file photo; Credit: Twitter/@Michailantonio
By Karthik Raman | Jun 1, 2023 | 3 Min Read follow icon Follow Us

West Ham United could end the season on an incredible note with the European final still on the cards. David Moyes’ boys had a roller-coaster campaign, which saw them do well in Europe but unable to maintain that same level in the Premier League. They were involved in a serious relegation battle at one point, causing a lot of concern among their supporters. However, the Hammers finished the league season on a positive note, winning crucial games at the end to comfortably guarantee their safety.

Now they can go one better with a UEFA Europa Conference League final pending to be played. Next week they will face Fiorentina in the title match of this competition. One of the leading stars of West Ham United, Michail Antonio, spoke about his love affair with scoring goals. “Scoring goals has always been a goal [for me]; as a striker, you’re always meant to be scoring goals,” he was quoted as saying by the club’s website.

“But I just want to be a part of it, I always want to contribute in any way that I can through either goals or assists, but obviously, [scoring] goals is the main mission for me, and that’s one thing I definitely want to achieve. And obviously, in terms of goals so far, I’m just one behind the leader, so I’m going for that top goalscoring record.”

Antonio then went into detail about how pressure does not get to him and, in fact, he thrives under pressure. “Honestly, I don’t really see getting pressure from [scoring Premier League goals], I had more pressure of beating it (the Club’s all-time record, which was previously held by Paolo Di Canio with 47 goals). When I heard that I got close to it, I was like ‘Now, I have to beat it’,” he elaborated.

I like pressure when it’s ‘big pressure’ – Michail Antonio

The West Ham striker also wants to score as many goals as possible so that it will be difficult for another player to break his record. “But, now, obviously, I’m at the top, and I want to score more goals to make it more difficult for someone to catch me. Now I’ve achieved it, I’m just buzzing that I’ve achieved it. But my goal is to always make sure that I do better each year, so me doing better each year means I get more goals each year [and] makes it harder for the next person to catch me. But I like pressure when it’s ‘big pressure’,” he added.

Michail Antonio then went on to explain the reason behind him doing well under pressure. “Obviously, playing [in the] semi-finals or, obviously, when we’re 1-0 down or in relegation scraps – these are the times that you notice that I come alive, because those are the games where I’m used to having that pressure. But coming from non-league, I constantly had to go on trials, and those are the things that kind of adapted me to the pressure,” he stated.

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