Pedro Obiang believes the competition for places in the West Ham United squad is driving each player to step up their individual game.
The Hammers defeated Fulham 2-0 on Saturday, thanks to goals from Robert Snodgrass and Michail Antonio, securing four consecutive Premier League victories for the Irons.
Obiang came off the bench to help the Hammers see out this weekend’s victory, and feels the competition in the West Ham squad has pushed each player to improve, causing the run of results.
“I think competition is the most important thing," Obiang said. “In every big squad, you have to have plenty of players ready to help the team, and we are doing that. It is a good thing. We are all good teammates too, which makes a difference.
In every big squad, you have to have plenty of players ready to help the team, and we are doing that
Pedro Obiang
“Our good players made the difference against Fulham. I’ve said, if we score our chances, we have the possibility of doing anything. We want to continue doing that.”
Captain Mark Noble has partnered Declan Rice in West Ham’s midfield in the last four league contests, with Obiang making substitute showings in three of those fixtures.
The 26-year-old, however, is not worried about not starting in these games, as the form showed by his fellow midfielders is encouragement for him to step up his own performances.
He continued: “I don’t feel the pressure. I feel happy. It’s always better when we win, rather than when we lose.
“Mark and Declan keep playing well and that means I have to train better and improve, which is only a good thing.”
With West Ham sitting ninth in the Premier League, just two points off of sixth place, Obiang says the team is continuing to look up, and must keep showing that they deserve to fight at the top end of the table.
“We have to keep working on that and always looking in front, never behind,” Obiang added. “We have to continue doing well, because many times we have talked about that, and we then fell down the table. We are doing better than before, and we have to keep doing that.”