West Ham manager Manuel Pellegrini has hailed the ‘great achievement for English football’ after the success of Premier League clubs in Europe this week.
The finals of both major European competitions will be all-English affairs, with Liverpool facing Tottenham in the Champions League final while London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea meet in the final of the Europa League.
It is the first time in history that all four finalists originate from the same country, with Pellegrini praising the achievement and the strength of the Premier League.
“Both semi-finals of the Champions League were great games with top players on both sides. It’s a great achievement for English football to have four teams in the finals of Europe. It’s a big step for this league, so I hope we will see the same quality of football in the final too,” the Chilean told his pre-match press conference.
“I always say the Premier League is the best league in the world, not only for the amount of good players we have, but it’s not easy for the teams in the top six to beat the teams in the relegation zone.”
West Ham face FA Cup finalists Watford this weekend, with the Hammers knowing they will leapfrog Javi Gracia’s side into 10th with a win.
“Watford with Javi Gracia are doing a brilliant season, not only for the amount of points they have but also they are in the final of the FA Cup,” Pellegrini added.
“I don’t think they will be distracted by the cup final. They have one week more to prepare and they will want to finish well in front of their fans.”