Edson Álvarez is looking forward to Saturday’s crucial Premier League clash at home to Liverpool, having been encouraged by the players’ response to Sunday’s heavy defeat to Crystal Palace back in training at Rush Green.
The Mexican midfielder completed 75 minutes of the disappointing afternoon at Selhurst Park, that saw West Ham United fall to a second top-flight loss in a row and served a blow to the team’s hopes of European qualification.
As it stands David Moyes’ men sit eighth in the standings with four games to go, and Álvarez is under no illusions about the importance of securing the full share of the spoils against the title-challenging Reds.
“It’s a huge game for us,” the 26-year-old said. “We know we need to win to stay in the fight for European football, which is our big goal for the rest of the season.
“We’ve all tried to move on from last week, which was a tough day. It’s not always easy to forget about what happened, especially straight away, but we’ve had some good sessions and we’re all working hard to put things right.
“I’m looking forward to getting back out there. It’s going to be a tough game - we know the threats Liverpool pose, just like every team in this league - but we know what we have to do and we’ll go out there and give our best.”
Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool are set to arrive at London Stadium desperate for victory in the race for top spot, after a 2-0 reverse at local rivals Everton on Wednesday that marked their second defeat in three, and left them three points behind leaders Arsenal.
The fixture promises a mouth-watering spectacle then with so much at stake, and Álvarez continues to embrace such occasions as his first campaign in Claret and Blue heads towards its conclusion.
“In the Premier League we see many surprises every week, with everyone beating everyone,” added Álvarez, who has scored two goals in 39 appearances for the Hammers since his switch from Ajax last summer.
“But it doesn’t matter about the last game. We know their quality, and why they’re up towards the top of the league, but we will concentrate on ourselves, and it should be a good game.
“I’ve loved my first season in England, and I’ve learnt so much. I think there’s a lot I can improve, so I’m looking forward to getting better and better, but for now I just want to help the team finish as high in the table as possible.”
