West Ham United defender Guy Demel insists the Hammers must not underestimate Stoke City when the two sides meet on Saturday 11 April.
Both sides have 39 points and after enjoying successful seasons, they look to be on course for top half finishes. With only goal difference separating the two sides, Saturday’s result will have a big effect on who finishes highest come the end of the season.
Speaking ahead of the game, the Ivorian international said: “The game with Stoke is going to be a tough one. They had a great game against Chelsea. We’re at home so we need to win, it should be a good game and hopefully we are the team with three points at the end of the day.
“It’s very important that we get the points because we have dropped down the table in the last few games. We know we’re better than our recent results. Stoke City are a great side so it should be a good game.”
Following the Hammers’ flying start to the campaign, which included victories over the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City, the claret and blues enjoyed a stint in the top four, peaking in third place after a win over Swansea City in early December.
However, since the turn of the year, injuries and a tough fixture list has seen Sam Allardyce’s men slide to ninth. Despite a slow start to 2015, the hammers are on course to record their highest points total since being back in the Premier League.
Demel reflects on a season of two halves philosophically: “It’s always hard to say what is going wrong, I think the manager is right when he says our first half makes the second look worse than it is. We’ve let ourselves down a bit recently and that’s sad for the fans and for us.
“Of course we want to finish as high as possible, there are lots of points still to play for. We’ve been playing offensive this season, our attackers have done very well this season, Enner and Diafra have done well and so did Andy when he was fit. Overall I think we’ve played attractive football and the fans have enjoyed it.”
With Carl Jenkinson cementing his place as favoured right-back following a string of eye-catching performances, Demel accepts that he has not played as much as he would have liked.
However, the 33-year-old, who is nothing if not professional, admits that spending time out of the starting XI is part of the modern game.
“You have to be patient, this is how football is. Obviously I would rather be playing but you have to deal with it. It’s the gaffer’s decision and you have to respect that. All you can do is work hard in training.
“Even if you’re not playing you still have an important role. The manager is very clear and honest about everybody’s role at the club so that helps you to focus and keep motivated.
“You have to realistic, we have a squad of about 27 players and only 11 can play so there are a lot of players in a similar situation.”
Both sides have 39 points and after enjoying successful seasons, they look to be on course for top half finishes. With only goal difference separating the two sides, Saturday’s result will have a big effect on who finishes highest come the end of the season.
Speaking ahead of the game, the Ivorian international said: “The game with Stoke is going to be a tough one. They had a great game against Chelsea. We’re at home so we need to win, it should be a good game and hopefully we are the team with three points at the end of the day.
“It’s very important that we get the points because we have dropped down the table in the last few games. We know we’re better than our recent results. Stoke City are a great side so it should be a good game.”
Following the Hammers’ flying start to the campaign, which included victories over the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City, the claret and blues enjoyed a stint in the top four, peaking in third place after a win over Swansea City in early December.
However, since the turn of the year, injuries and a tough fixture list has seen Sam Allardyce’s men slide to ninth. Despite a slow start to 2015, the hammers are on course to record their highest points total since being back in the Premier League.
Demel reflects on a season of two halves philosophically: “It’s always hard to say what is going wrong, I think the manager is right when he says our first half makes the second look worse than it is. We’ve let ourselves down a bit recently and that’s sad for the fans and for us.
“Of course we want to finish as high as possible, there are lots of points still to play for. We’ve been playing offensive this season, our attackers have done very well this season, Enner and Diafra have done well and so did Andy when he was fit. Overall I think we’ve played attractive football and the fans have enjoyed it.”
With Carl Jenkinson cementing his place as favoured right-back following a string of eye-catching performances, Demel accepts that he has not played as much as he would have liked.
However, the 33-year-old, who is nothing if not professional, admits that spending time out of the starting XI is part of the modern game.
“You have to be patient, this is how football is. Obviously I would rather be playing but you have to deal with it. It’s the gaffer’s decision and you have to respect that. All you can do is work hard in training.
“Even if you’re not playing you still have an important role. The manager is very clear and honest about everybody’s role at the club so that helps you to focus and keep motivated.
“You have to realistic, we have a squad of about 27 players and only 11 can play so there are a lot of players in a similar situation.”