SLAVEN BILIC knows any glimmer of Andy Carroll returning to his best will prompt talk of England, but the West Ham manager insists the striker has a lot more to do to press his case for a place at Euro 2016.
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| Andy Carroll now has three goals in West Ham's last six Premier League games at Upton Park |
On Saturday, Carroll marked his sixth league start of the season by scoring in back-to-back games for the first time since 2013.
His 55th-minute header capped a fine all-round display that exposed Liverpool's defensive weaknesses and provided a reminder of how threatening the 26-year-old can be.
Roy Hodgson will have taken note, but Bilic is adamant it is way too early for Carroll to start thinking about spending the summer in France - although he hopes his forward will use the incentive of the Euros to maintain his progress.
Bilic said: "To talk about the Euros is wrong for him. If England is a serious national team and you're trying to win the Euros then you can't talk about the national team when the player has scored two goals.
"He's got all the quality, but he has to show it on a longer scale. He's got a chance, that's why I'm asking. I hope he's going to do everything because when he's like this he's hard to play against."
Carroll is still feeling his way back after a knee ligament injury kept him out for seven months.
And Bilic believes it is now up to the player to make sure his lifestyle allows him to maintain his recovery.
"He looks really good to me, he didn't drop for one single minute. He was running, he was doing everything and it's all about him now," said the manager.
"Is he going to maintain and progress and look after himself and train hard and rest, or is he going to go the other way? He has a history in that and I'm not his dad, I can't demand things from him, but I'm expecting that."
Michail Antonio's 10th-minute header put the Hammers on course for the win and Carroll's form together with the return of Dimitri Payet from injury meant the only downside for Bilic was a recurrence of Manuel Lanzini's thigh injury.
For Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp there was much more to worry about, and with tomorrow's Capital One Cup semi-final first leg at Stoke and Friday's FA Cup third-round trip to Exeter to come, the manager will demand an instant improvement.
Centre-back Dejan Lovren admits the Reds must show more fight if they are to turn things around this week.
The defender said: "We are disappointed. It wasn't the best performance from us and we need to be angry with ourselves.
"We definitely need to change our mentality and we need to keep a better run of games and to fight more. It was two easy goals conceded."
Klopp will make his first signing since taking over when Marko Grujic undergoes a medical today ahead of his £5.1m move from Red Star Belgrade.
The Serbian midfielder was targeted by the likes of Chelsea and Inter Milan, but Jurgen Klopp's personal intervention persuaded the 19-year-old to move to Anfield. He will be loaned back to Red Star for the remainder of the season.
WEST HAM (4-2-3-1): Adrian 6; Tomkins 7, Collins 9, Ogbonna 7, Cresswell 7; Kouyate 7, Noble 7; Antonio 8 (Jenkinson 86), Valencia 7 (Payet 64, 7), Lanzini 6 (Obiang 39, 6); Carroll 8. Booked: Lanzini. Goals: Antonio 10, Carroll 55. NEXT UP: Wolves (h) FAC, Sat.
LIVERPOOL (4-2-3-1): Mignolet 7; Clyne 6, Lovren 6, Sakho 5 (Allen 82), Moreno 6 (Smith 61, 6); Lucas 7, Can 6; Ibe 6 , Coutinho 7, Firmino 6 (Lallana 61, 5); Benteke 5. Booked: Lucas. NEXT UP: Stoke (a) COC, tomorrow.
REFEREE: Robert Madley (West Yorkshire).
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