London: West Ham United players need to be united to find their confidence back and get their season back on track, the club’s newly appointed assistant coach Stuart Pearce has said.
David Moyes replaced Slaven Bilic as West Ham manager last week with the club in the relegation zone after winning two of their 11 league games and the Scot will take charge of his first match during Sunday’s trip to Watford.
Pearce, who previously played for West Ham for two years from 1999 to 2001, was named as one of Moyes’ assistants last weekend and the 55-year-old has backed the team to turn their fortunes around.
“David (Moyes) is acutely aware — as we all are — of exactly where the club are at this moment in time,” Pearce told the club’s website.
“The main thing is to enhance the togetherness at the club…
“Confidence has been dented and that is part of the task, to get that back on track. We need to find that togetherness again and the players are the most powerful ones of all in showing that.”
Midfielder Michail Antonio, who is currently sidelined with a rib injury, believes the 54-year-old Moyes will make a positive impact at West Ham.
“He’s come in and things have been quite intense. Everything’s quite different. He’s out there, he’s standing with the boys, he’s taking training himself and he’s very involved,” Antonio said.
“I see positive things. I feel like things are going to go well under him.
“With the squad that we have, we definitely shouldn’t be in the situation that we are in. With a bit of structure and more belief and confidence, we will definitely be going up the league.”
Meanwhile, Manchester United must find top form heading into what can be the “decisive” Christmas period, midfielder Juan Mata has said ahead of Saturday’s Premier League home game against Newcastle United.
United, in second place, trail neighbours City by eight points after 11 games and were beaten 1-0 by champions Chelsea in their last outing before the international break.
“We return to training with the mindset on the Newcastle match and the importance of the months that lie ahead, as they come loaded with games, especially during the Christmas period,” Mata wrote on his blog on the club’s website.
“These are moments in which good form of the team can be decisive for the second part of the season.” Mata, who has not featured in the league since last month’s 2-1 loss at Huddersfield Town, said United had to guard against complacency against Newcastle.
“Everyone knows they are newly-promoted but they are still a big club with several Spanish players… We hope to play a good game that allows us to get all three points, and continue showing that strength in Old Trafford.”
