Kouyate confident Hammers upturn is on the horizon

West Ham United midfielder Cheikhou Kouyate is confident the Hammers can regain their self-belief, as they look to end a run of four successive defeats at Arsenal on Wednesday.

Just one win in their last eight games has dropped West Ham down to 14th in the Premier League, six points clear of the relegation zone, with the pressure building up on manager Slaven Bilic.

The club’s owners felt it necessary to release a statement following last Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Hull City, making it clear that Bilic retains their support.

Senegal captain Kouyate, who scored the opener in the Hammers’ 2-0 victory at the Emirates Stadium last season, believes it will take a lot of hard work to end what has been a worrying slide.

(Photo by Nigel Roddis/Getty Images)

Kouyate said: “It’s a very, very difficult moment for us, but sometimes you have this period one time in a year or one time in two years. It is important that we stay positive, stay together and just focus.

“We need to win some games, just work hard and play hard. We need to take our chances and defend well, but most importantly we need to work together and be positive.

“Sometimes you lose the game in the last minute or sometimes you lose the game in the first half by conceding two or three goals but, at the end of the day, we need to work as hard as we can and win some games.”