West Ham captain Kurt Zouma has stated how important togetherness is amongst the West Ham family.
Despite how clearly deteriorated his knees are, Kurt Zouma continues to give his absolute everything to West Ham United. He bounced back from some shaky performances over recent weeks with a vital goal against Tottenham and a rock solid defensive display.
Not only did he need to respond well, but the whole team after their collapse against Newcastle and the captain was delighted with his side’s performance against Tottenham. “Yes, there was a big reaction needed after a big disappointment at the weekend, so we had to react for ourselves and for the fans as well, especially at home in a London derby,” Zouma told WHUFC.com. “We knew it was going to be tough, but the way we played tonight showed the character the team has a as a family, like I say, all going the same way, and we want to keep going.”
“We were one-nil down and coming back into the game and I knew it was big, especially early. We wanted to win this one, a London derby, and get the three points after the weekend. Even a point is good, but we just need to win at the weekend [at Wolves]. It’s going to be tough, but we have to prepare for it.”
“We saw eleven players fighting for each other like a family, like I always say. That’s what we take from the game today.”
Undoubtedly, the electric atmosphere at the London Stadium helped push the players on, especially after conceding so early into the game. “There was a good atmosphere and our fans made it tough for them, I would say. They helped us a lot. As a team there was a lot of talk in the dressing room between the last game and this one and we had to react and I think we did well. We conceded the first goal but then we kept the belief and we kept going and managed to get back in the game. We could maybe have won it at the end, but it is what it is. It was fifty-fifty, a good game to watch, very intense and now we have to rest and get ready for the next one.”
However, just as Moyes said ahead of the game, Zouma claims there is one player in particular that the East London faithful need to get behind – Kalvin Phillips, The midfielder has had an extremely tough start to life in claret and blue but the Frenchman is confident he can show just how good he really is.
“We know how good he is. We all know the quality that he has and he’s a brother to us. He’s going through a period when he’s been very unlucky, but this is football and everybody has to support him and hopefully he will get back to his best as soon as possible. He’s working hard every day, as everyone sees him, and he always keeps a smile on which we like. He’s a very good guy and we love him in the dressing room and we have to help him as well. He’s a quality player and he will show it, no problem.”