West Ham's Guillermo Franco admits he is struggling to cope with the festive schedule in England.
Forward brands English football calendar 'crazy'
West Ham United striker Guillermo Franco admits he is struggling to cope with the gruelling festive schedule in England, but is determined to remain positive.
The Hammers' victory over Premier League relegation rivals Portsmouth was spoilt by a defeat to Tottenham in their last outing.
To make matters worse, Scott Parker and Herita Illunga both suffered hamstring injuries in the loss to Spurs, and Franco, who played at White Hart Lane and against Pompey, confesses he is baffled by the demands of the fixture list.
"We have had two games in 48 hours and it is crazy, only in England do you twice in such a short space of time," said the Mexican.
"I have never done it before in my career, not in Argentina, Mexico or Spain. It's very difficult for everyone and for us to play a very important match and lose those two players.
"I feel very tired and I feel down because we lost, but it's important that we retain a positive feeling for the future."
During the defeat at White Hart Lane, Franco picked up his fifth booking of the season, meaning he will miss the FA Cup clash against Arsenal on Sunday.
"We don't have too many players," he added. "We have some injuries, so I will take care of myself over the New Year and will be back to help the team in 2010."
