Pedro Obiang is firmly of the opinion that West Ham United are headed in the right direction, after the Spaniard made his Barclays Premier League bow on Saturday.
The former Sampdoria midfielder joined the fray for the second half against Leicester City and though he could not quite mastermind a Hammers revival, he showed plenty to suggest he has a bright future in Claret and Blue.
Obiang, whose pre-season preparations were hampered by a hamstring injury, was naturally disappointed to be part of a losing cause on debut, but found plenty a positive to soften the blow.
“I really enjoyed it,” he told West Ham TV. “It obviously didn’t turn out the way I expected, but it was a good opportunity to show the fans what I’m capable of and show the manager that he can count on me in difficult moments.
“I still think it was a good match, but we lacked that little bit of ferocity that we had against Arsenal.
“There’s good and bad, it’s mixed emotions. It’s positive, because I was able to play and show my qualities as a player, and the downside, obviously, is that we didn’t win.
“I’ve got a good feeling about the team and certainly, little by little, we’re heading in the right direction.”
Saturday’s 2-1 reverse was Obiang’s first outing since a 3-3 draw at Peterborough United back in early July and yet the 23-year-old insists he is now fighting fit.
He certainly enjoyed himself in front of a raucous full house at the Boleyn Ground and hopes the Hammers fans are going to take to him this season.
“I’ve been OK since the injury, a few slight twinges, but that’s normal,” he continued. “There’s a lot of attention on you when you’re on the pitch, you feel the pressure, but it was all good. I needed to get back out there to pick up the pace, and now I can finally relax a little more.
“I really hope the fans are happy with me, and I intend to give them my best, alongside my teammates, in every game, because they are the heart of this Club, and with patience and a little calm we will achieve a lot.”
With his competitive debut now out of the way, Obiang’s attention turns to the visit of Bournemouth next Saturday, an opportunity, he says, to right the wrongs of Saturday’s disappointing home defeat.
“As they say in football, the beautiful thing is that every week you can improve on what you’ve done in the last match.
“So we will prepare ourselves keeping in mind the small mistakes that we made during this match. Being at home again will make things a lot easier for us.”
The former Sampdoria midfielder joined the fray for the second half against Leicester City and though he could not quite mastermind a Hammers revival, he showed plenty to suggest he has a bright future in Claret and Blue.
Obiang, whose pre-season preparations were hampered by a hamstring injury, was naturally disappointed to be part of a losing cause on debut, but found plenty a positive to soften the blow.
“I really enjoyed it,” he told West Ham TV. “It obviously didn’t turn out the way I expected, but it was a good opportunity to show the fans what I’m capable of and show the manager that he can count on me in difficult moments.
“I still think it was a good match, but we lacked that little bit of ferocity that we had against Arsenal.
“There’s good and bad, it’s mixed emotions. It’s positive, because I was able to play and show my qualities as a player, and the downside, obviously, is that we didn’t win.
“I’ve got a good feeling about the team and certainly, little by little, we’re heading in the right direction.”
Saturday’s 2-1 reverse was Obiang’s first outing since a 3-3 draw at Peterborough United back in early July and yet the 23-year-old insists he is now fighting fit.
He certainly enjoyed himself in front of a raucous full house at the Boleyn Ground and hopes the Hammers fans are going to take to him this season.
“I’ve been OK since the injury, a few slight twinges, but that’s normal,” he continued. “There’s a lot of attention on you when you’re on the pitch, you feel the pressure, but it was all good. I needed to get back out there to pick up the pace, and now I can finally relax a little more.
“I really hope the fans are happy with me, and I intend to give them my best, alongside my teammates, in every game, because they are the heart of this Club, and with patience and a little calm we will achieve a lot.”
With his competitive debut now out of the way, Obiang’s attention turns to the visit of Bournemouth next Saturday, an opportunity, he says, to right the wrongs of Saturday’s disappointing home defeat.
“As they say in football, the beautiful thing is that every week you can improve on what you’ve done in the last match.
“So we will prepare ourselves keeping in mind the small mistakes that we made during this match. Being at home again will make things a lot easier for us.”