West Ham boss David Moyes has urged misfiring striker Michail Antonio to stand up and be counted at the business end of the season.
Antonio has scored 10 goals so far this term but has not found the net in the Premier League since New Year’s Day.
The 32-year-old missed two good chances last weekend as West Ham failed to take advantage of defeats for Arsenal and Tottenham in the race for the top four, only managing a 1-1 draw at home to Burnley.
The Hammers face a potentially season-defining week with Sunday’s trip to Chelsea followed by the first leg of the Europa League semi-final at home to Eintracht Frankfurt.
And Moyes admits he needs Antonio to rediscover his goal touch when it matters.
“If he’d got a couple of goals last Sunday you would say he was back in form, but the goals are missing,” said Moyes.
“His all-round performance has got better in the last month or two, at Lyon he was very good.
“We can get him to assist and make goals because he is a focal point, but ultimately we’re at the business end and whatever your role is in the team, if you are a centre-half or a goalkeeper you have to keep the ball out of the net, and centre-forwards have to get the ball in the net.
“That’s their job, so we need him to do that for us as well. You might not get five or six shots, you might only get one and your conversion rate has got to be good.
“You’re not getting five one-on-ones with the goalkeeper, you might only get one of them a game and you have to be ready to take that one.”
