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Struggling West Ham have the mettle to drag themselves clear of the relegation dog fight this season, claims Irons’ vice-captain Aaron Cresswell.
As we reach the mid-way point of the 2022/23 Premier League campaign, West Ham are languishing in the division’s drop zone – a situation few had envisaged for the Londoners before the onset of the new season back in August.
West Ham (18th) were beaten 1-0 by Wolves on Saturday, a loss that pushed their winless run in the top tier to a galling seven games. The Hammers battled bravely, but posted an xG of just 0.74 in a toothless showing at Molineux and only Wanderers have scored fewer goals in total than West Ham this term.
Cresswell backs his teammates to maintain belief
Experienced campaigner Cresswell has been at West Ham for eight-and-a-half years, and having experienced numerous peaks and troughs with the Irons during his lengthy spell in East London, the 33-year-old seems confident that the club’s fortunes will turn around soon.
Speaking to West Ham’s official website, Cresswell said: “We’ve got some big leaders in the dressing room and there’s nobody shying away.
“We don’t want to be in this situation, we shouldn’t be in this situation on the back of the last two years we’ve had as a football club, but the reality is we are where we are, and it’s down to us to fight, to keep that spirit and keep believing.
“We’ve got to look forward to the next game and try to take maximum points over the next few games.”
“We’ve been sloppy all over the park all season, and that’s why we’re in this situation,” he admitted. “We’ve got to get ourselves out of this as fast as possible.
“So we’ve got to stick together. “We’re half-way through the season and we’ve got to keep going, keep fighting, keep believing and pushing on.”
According to reports, West Ham have drawn up a four-person shortlist to potentially replace David Moyes which includes Mauricio Pochettino and Thomas Tuchel 👀🗞️
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 16, 2023
West Ham’s dramatic drop off
West Ham finished 6th and 7th in their last two Premier League seasons respectively under David Moyes, though their form has fallen to pieces in 2022/23. The under-fire Scottish manager now faces another battle to keep his job, with several replacements already being considered according to reports.
The Irons spent a huge wedge of cash last summer to sign players like Lucas Paqueta from Lyon and Gianluca Scamacca from Sassuolo among others, though their £150m plus splurge hasn’t yet reaped dividends.
West Ham have won only four of their 19 Premier League fixtures overall since last summer, while their results on the road, where they have lodged just one victory in ten assignments, have been wretched.
With players at the club suffering a crisis of confidence, there is a real danger that the Hammers’ flirtation with relegation becomes a genuine battle to stay afloat.
To compound their trouble, West Ham have a taxing set of Premier League fixtures on the horizon which includes meetings with highflying Newcastle, big-spending Chelsea and London rivals Tottenham inside their next four matches.
That tough run puts an even-greater importance on West Ham’s next assignment on Saturday against relegation rivals Everton at the London Stadium.
The Toffees sit behind West Ham in the table, though they managed to beat their opponents from the capital 1-0 in the reverse fixture between the teams at Goodison Park back in September.
A win for Everton in the return contest on Saturday would allow them to leapfrog West Ham in the Premier League table.
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