West Ham won 4-0 against Nottingham Forest on Saturday (25 February) which was their biggest win of the season, and the performance was inspired by two team meetings held last week, according to a report from The Atheltic.
A meeting was conducted after the Hammers lost 2-0 against Tottenham by club skipper, Declan Rice, at Rush Green, and David Moyes and his backroom staff were completely unaware of it.
Moyes made four changes from the side that lost against Spurs, and it worked for him. Danny Ings, who made his first start since joining in the January window from Aston Villa, scored twice, while Said Benrahma registered two assists.
“Every player knows we haven’t been good enough,” said Rice, as quoted by The Atheltic.
“We should not be in this position, but the reality is that we are and we know as players that we can only dig deep and ensure this football club stays in the Premier League. At the moment, where we are is not good, but it’s down to us to keep positive and keep pushing each other as hard as we can.”
Leader
It’s good to see that the players have taken responsibility and the performance was arguably the best of the season.
Ings is a natural finisher and his two goals in quick succession set the platform for a convincing victory. The Hammers need to build on it and keep picking up more points, especially away from home.
Rice, once again, has shown his leadership qualities off the pitch. The 24-year-old scored a spectacular goal against Forest and he must ensure that the players maintain this standard for the rest of the season.
West Ham are too good a side to go down to the Championship, and they have enough quality to not only stay up in the Premier League but finish in the top half of the table. All they need is a bit of consistency and some wins in a row.
This is probably Rice’s last season at the club. He has a contract until 2024, but the Hammers have the option to extend it for another year. However, the club probably will let him go if they receive the right offer.
