West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna has made clear that the squad have suffered due to a lack of squad depth this season.

Our Hammers have seen a significant drop off this campaign in terms of our ability to handle injuries, suspensions and fatigue at such a crucial period, which arguably has lead to the club being out of Europe and now in a difficult position to land a top 7 finish in the Premier League.

David Moyes’ side will need to reach that position to land a place on the European stage again next season, however recent results have dented that target greatly, with the club likely now to miss out.

Ogbonna, who has proven his worth again over the last year with some impressive displays when called upon, most notably our 2-0 win at Arsenal earlier in the season, has expressed his frustration at the energy levels now being felt amongst the players.

“Saturday was very important to come and play better than last week at Crystal Palace, because we know we were a little bit out of energy,” the veteran told the clubs Official Website.

“Everyone knows the previous Thursday against Bayer Leverkusen was an unbelievable night. We didn’t get through, but we gave everything on the pitch and most of the lads were a little bit tired in terms of intensity.

“But we showed we can cope even with a team like Liverpool. We tried our best from the first minute and I think the goal for Jarrod was really deserved. We conceded but we’ve been a little bit unlucky and the reaction was there and this is the way we play and this is the way West Ham play.

“Sometimes we run out of energy and, to be honest, it wasn’t easy this year because we played Sunday/Thursday and the time to recover for the lads wasn’t totally easy.”

Despite the clear frustration felt, Ogbonna also wanted to look on the bright side of what has been achieved in east London over recent seasons, and he firmly believes that the club is in a very healthy position to now kick on in the years to come.

“Who said West Ham could win the Conference League?” the Italian added. “Who said West Ham could go in the semi-finals of the Europa League? No-one.

“It’s a totally different West Ham. As a human being, everyone wants more, but you need to understand people that work here have given everything in the transition to try to change things. We have got international players and now we’re standing and everyone knows West Ham around the world.”