West Ham defender James Collins is desperate to help the Hammers to avoid defeat at Arsenal tonight after admitting “everyone is down” at the club.
Slaven Bilic’s beleaguered side have gleaned just two points from a possible 18 after the loss at Hull City in the Premier League on Saturday.
Now they go to the Emirates Stadium in the hope of turning their fortunes around against Arsene Wenger’s outfit; a side that has endured their own mini-slump of late but who recorded a 2-2 draw with Manchester City at home on Sunday.
And Collins, recently drafted back to first team action by Bilic, says it is a big ask to go to north London and come away with something; but says that the they do so harbouring some belief they can provide an upturn in form.
He said: “It’s going to be tough, obviously. Going there is always tough but we’ve gone there before and got results. We certainly need to defend better as a team, in any game, but especially there.
“We have to be more solid as a group without the ball. When we have got the ball we’re looking good and creating chances. At the minute without the ball we aren’t really defending as a team which means we are conceding silly goals. Obviously set-plays are an issue at the minute, too, which we are working on.
“It’s going to be tough but we have to go there with confidence that we can get a result and perform. It’s vital that we do that, as everyone is a bit down at the minute, but going to somewhere like the Emirates and getting a win or even a draw would be a lift for everyone.”
The Hammers have the chance to improve their position of 14th in the top flight table tonight and will look to add to their points tally in their next two games, too. They host relegation-threatened Swansea City on Saturday and then follow that up a week later with a trip to Sunderland, currently rock-botton in the division.