West Ham striker Michail Antonio is hoping the World Cup break can work to their advantage.

The Irons return to Premier League action on Boxing Day with a trip to north London to face leaders Arsenal, and Antonio admitted the Hammers' form prior to the break starting in November was erratic.

The mini-break and return to training, however, have allowed David Moyes' side to work on rediscovering the levels that saw the team qualify for European football in two consecutive campaigns.

“We were a bit up and down," Antonio told the Evening Standard. “[The break] has given us an opportunity to work on our consistency, get back into the season and do what we know we can do: play like we have over the last couple of years and try to get our philosophy back.

“We are a team that believes we should always finish around the European places, so it's just about getting it to gel again. I think we hit a slump from the massive season we had last year and, after this nice little break, hopefully we can turn things around."