SOUCHECKED
Midfielder admits: Wolves defeat was reality check for Hammers
TOMAS SOUCEK reckons last weekend’s defeat by Wolves was a sobering reality check for West Ham.
And one he hopes that will refocus the minds of David Moyes’ men ahead of what will arguably be their toughest week of the season with Manchester City, Brighton and Chelsea all to come in the space of seven days.
“Last week, we didn’t play well at Wolves, we didn’t deserve to win,” he admitted, referring to the 1-0 loss.
Slap
“Maybe it was a good slap in our face, a reminder we need to be prepared for every game.
“We showed in the Europa League win against Rapid Vienna on Thursday that we have come back well and now, hopefully, we can show the same against Manchester City.
“When we look at the table we are very happy, but we still have many games in front of us – and many hard games.
“Especially now – we play City away, we play Brighton in midweek, then we play Chelsea.
“So this is one of the hardest weeks in the Premier League season and, after this, we can say where we are.”
The Hammers finished sixth last season to qualify for the Europa League and, after a flying start to this campaign, they came into the weekend lying in fourth. Their earlyseason status has drawn comparisons with Leicester’s success in the 2015-16 season, when they famously went on to win the Premier League title.
Not least the fact the East Enders had 23 points after 11 games this time out, compared with the Foxes’ tally of 22 then.
But Soucek added: “We don’t want to be compared with Leicester and what happened five years ago.
“We want to go step by step, game by game.
“We will see where we are at the end of the season, but we cannot think about the title or about the top four or the top eight
“We just have to be prepared for each game in front us.
“We want to go for all three competitions and then a fourth one in January.
“We want to be successful, but it is always about the next game. Win, beat the opponent and then after the season we can say how successful we have been.” Soucek has been a key component in West Ham’s resurgence under Moyes.
And, although it seems as if he isn’t as free-scoring this time, it is worth noting that he’d also only scored once at this stage of last season before going on to finish with 10.
He said: “I feel in good condition, it is not just about goals.
Luck
“Last year, it was great for me with scoring goals – I had a lot of luck many times.
“Now, sometimes I will be disappointed with my finishing, but I am happy for the team.
“I am more of a team player and if we are fourth in the table, we are top of the Europa League group, we are still in the League Cup, that is the best. If we continue in this way, I don’t need to score any other goals.”