Gianfranco Zola believes the unity within the ranks of his West Ham United squad will see them through their current sticky patch.
Zola's side will play host to high-flying Arsenal on Sunday boosted by a virtually fully-fit squad. Zola welcomed back Kieron Dyer as he put his players through their paces at the Boleyn Ground on Friday. The midfielder was back in training after recovering from a muscle strain and his return has swelled a group already boosted by the return of several key players in recent weeks. Only long-term absentees Calum Davenport, Luis Boa Morte and Dean Ashton remain sidelined.
With any injury worries behind him, Zola has been able to focus on motivating his players to get their first maximum on home soil this season and from the evidence he has seen in training, that should not be too far off.
"I know that it hasn't been a good start and I question myself all of the time," Zola said. "I just look at the situation and I look at the group and the way they train and if they are positive or negative.
"You can only see the thing from the outside and see that the results are not coming but from me I see them all of the day and see the way they train and it is not a team that is going to struggle. If we train like that we are not going to have a problem. They are going to come out of this situation and they are going to come out of this situation soon."
The togetherness Zola sees has allowed an honest de-brief about what could be improved on in recent matches.
"We spoke about the recent performances and the mistakes we made and everybody realises that. It is a very compact group, a very good unit. They all have the desire to change the situation and we are working on that.
"Things will change quickly. Sunday is a difficult game and nobody is expecting anything from us but the team is alive and is determined to react to the situation."
The game presents the Hammers with another chance to climb the Premier League table. A victory on Sunday could potentially move Zola's side up to 15th in table if other results go their way.
"This game is as much about psychologly as anything else so I think it is important that we get some points as soon as possible. We know we are not far away from where we want to be. It's not the position - it's to get the comfort back of getting points week in week out that would make a big difference.
"The table is very short and if you end up winning two games you might find yourself in the upper-middle part of the table. It's just about getting the confidence up, performing well and getting points, which is something that is not happening right now."
The Gunners will certainly be no walkovers, though. Wenger's men have scored in every competitive match they have contested this season, netting an impressive 40 goals in 14 games in all competitions. However, Zola is determined to stick to his principles and not dampen his own attacking spirit for the game.
"It's difficult because if you play against Arsenal only trying to stop them it is a lost cause. They have so many players that can score goals. It will be about how we can cause them problems. They score a lot but they also concede a lot so we will be looking to exploit their weaknesses.
"We will pay attention to the strike force that they have but at the same time the secret for me will be punishing them when they concede those situations to us."
Although things may have not been going quite as planned results-wise of late, the manager's confidence in himself and his squad has helped him remain focused on the task in hand.
"The motivation comes from myself and I don't like to let myself down. Throughout my career it is something that has been there. I have had downfalls in my career but always knew I was going to bounce back and that is what I think is going to happen in this situation.
"It is difficult because I care about these players and I care about this club and to see them in this situation hurts me. I may not look like it but I am a warrior."
If the manager does ever feel the need for advice or a forum to sound ideas in, he explains that his ever-reliant staff - including first-team coaches Steve Clarke and Kevin Keen - are always on hand.
"I've got my reference points and I speak to them consistently. I speak to my staff, which is fantastic and we always comfort ourselves and find good solutions to the problems we have got. I can assure you that last season we had more than this one."
Sunday's game, which kicks-off at 4.15pm, will present Zola with the chance of pitting his wits against one the managers he most looks up to. Indeed, the manager uses Arsene Wenger as a motivation for what he wants to achieve at West Ham United.
"He is the manager I look up to for the project we are trying to realise here. I like the style of football he plays and that's the point we want to get to. We want to follow the same policy. We want to work with the young players and make them better. That is our project and he is one of the people I admire very much.
"I like the strength of his character. He has been through some bad moments but he never changes his attitude to the game. He always plays attacking football and that is something that I really like in him."
With everything coming together injury-wise, Zola now just needs the same kind of fortune on the pitch. He is hoping that passion of the Boleyn Ground crowd can help make that happen on Sunday.
"I think it will be vital the crowd stays with us. In these difficult moments the players feeling the crowd behind them is very important. I hope they will be very loud and very supportive as they always have been.
"I can understand it is difficult for them as the team is not producing the results they want to see. They have to trust that if they are behind the players the points will arrive."