Alphonse Areola still believes that West Ham can achieve European football again and that conceding so many goals lately has not knocked his confidence.

It is fair to say that West Ham have not enjoyed 2024 in the slightest. David Moyes’ side are still without a win and they’ve conceded 9 goals in their last 2 games. 

Despite this, first-choice goalkeeper Alphonse Areola has continued to pull off some impressive saves and it is hard to blame him for any of Arsenal’s 6 goals last weekend. He was understandably frustrated with the result, but believes that the Hammers can still finish in a European spot. “Obviously, it was a tough day and a day to forget, but we have to move forward. We learned a lot from that game and now we have to be focused on the next game,” he told WHUFC.com. 

“We are looking forward to the European competitions again [as the UEFA Europa League returns] and in the Premier League we’ve kept going and are trying to pick up as many points as we can so we can qualify again next season. When I signed for the Club, the first words were that ‘We want to be a European team’ and since then we’ve played in Europe every year so hopefully, we can achieve that objective again.”

West Ham are extremely fortunate to have two top quality goalkeepers in the Frenchman and Lukasz Fabianski. Areola claims that the relationship between them, as well as youngster Joseph Anang, pushes each other to be the best that they possibly can be, 

“Working with Łukasz and Joseph every day is hard, and we are always trying to help each other. The goalkeeper union here is very strong and we are just trying to give our best every day in training and trying to compete for the position. The most important thing of course is the team result.”

Fortunately, conceding so many goals against Arsenal has not knocked Areola’s confidence, claiming that “you get used to it.”

“We all prepare for what we have to do, and our role is to help the team on the pitch as much as you can, such as trying to stop goals and passing the ball out from the back. I don’t think everyone understands what we experience on the pitch.”

“Outside of football, you have a life as well and spending time with your family and kids helps a lot when it comes to switching off that football side. It gives you the opportunity to recover and recharge so that you can give your best.”

If our Irons are to get their fourth consecutive season of European football then Areola will need to continue the fine form he has been in all season. As he said, the most important thing is results and they desperately need one today. To secure a place in the top 7, they need to string together some good performances and pick up as many points as they can over the next 4 games. They’ve made it hard for themselves, but you would not expect anything else from West Ham.