West Ham United's Mexican striker Guillermo Franco has criticised the English tradition of playing matches in quick succession over the Christmas and new year period after two of his team-mates suffered hamstring injuries during the defeat to Tottenham Hotspur.

Scott Parker and Hérita Ilunga both had to leave the pitch before half-time and while their strains are not thought to be too serious they are both likely to miss Sunday's FA Cup third-round tie with Arsenal. The pair are scheduled to be fully assessed at West Ham's Chadwell Heath training ground today.

"We lost Scott and Herita inside the first 20 minutes and it made it hard for us because they are important players," said Franco. "We have had two games in 48 hours and it is crazy – only in England do you play twice in such a short space of time. I have never done it before in my career, not in Argentina, Mexico or Spain. It's very difficult for everyone.

"I also feel very tired but we don't have too many players and we have some injuries, so I will take care of myself and will be back to help the team in 2010."