It is getting very tight at the foot of the Premier League. Yesterdays wins for Liverpool – who looked anything other than Champions – and Arsenal meant that Nottingham Forest and Tottenham have been sucked further into this relegation battle with eleven games to go.
And West Ham have to head to Anfield to try and secure their first win since 2015 if they are to stay in touch with their nearest Premier League rivals.
Nottingham Forest have a draining Thursday Conference League fixture against Fenerbahce and then a trip to Brighton on Sunday – by which time, the Liverpool v West Ham result will be known: West Ham could climb out of the relegation zone next weekend for the first time this year.
Mateus Fernandes firmly believes beating Liverpool – away – next weekend is not the daunting prospect it used to be.
Last autumn, a West Ham side devoid of the ‘F’ word under Potter sank like a stone towards the relegation zone. Since December, though, that ‘Fight’ has returned. And there’s one solid reason, claims West Ham’s midfielder, speaking to the nytimes.com/athletic:
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“I think Paco Jemez (the first-team coach) has brought a lot of the fighting spirit (you see in our performances). We are defending much better and trying to fight for the team. We are doing well but we need to score our chances. It’s good we’re creating opportunities but now we need to work on this part.”
Nuno Espirito Santo Talks to Paco Jemez
Fernandes firmly believes Jemez is responsible for the return of West Ham’s fighting spirit
“We have two days to forget about everything and try to relax and go again (for the) next game against Liverpool. It will be tough and every game is difficult but we are ready for anything.
They have very good players but so do we and we want to build on the things we can control.
We believe we can win there and I think against the big teams we play better as we are very strong on the transition.”
Just a few weeks ago, Hammers fans would have dismissed this talk as self delusion: As West Ham look to reel in their opponents, they are fighting for their Premier League lives. Which is all anyone can ask.
How Nuno combats his defensive instincts and sets his side up to win at one of the League’s toughest venues will be intriguing to watch. West Ham have showed that whatever else, they are willing to fight now and that has won back the respect of their supporters. Which is just half the battle.