Maximilian Kilman has been West Ham United’s Mr Dependable this season, starting each of the 29 matches the Hammers have played in league and cup.
The 27-year-old has been on the pitch for all but 71 of the 2,610 minutes the Irons have been in competitive action since his summer arrival from Wolverhampton Wanderers.
In the Premier League, Kilman has had more touches of the ball (1,594), made more passes (1,272) and clearances (136) and blocked more shots (30) than any other West Ham player.
The centre-back produced one of his best performances in an Irons shirt in Saturday’s 1-0 win at Arsenal, where his selfless display played a huge part in West Ham becoming the first visiting team to win at Emirates Stadium in the Premier League this season.
“It was amazing to go to the Emirates [and win], as it's not somewhere where you often pick up any results, and we were the first team away from home to beat them there [this season], so credit to all of us as we worked really hard in that game and it was a perfect way to win,” he reflected.
“We've had many good moments [this season], but to win games you need to see out from the first minute to the 90th minute and I think Saturday was a proper show of that.
“We've not kept many clean sheets this season, which has obviously not been good enough by our standards, so we can take a lot of confidence from that. We've obviously played against Arsenal, who are a top, top team, and to not let them score is something that you need to build on, of course.
“We've got games coming up where we're going to try to win the games and try to keep as many clean sheets as we can.”
Saturday’s result has naturally raised spirits among the squad, whose improved showings under new Head Coach Graham Potter had not previously been rewarded with the points they warranted, most notably away at Aston Villa and Chelsea.
So, with renewed belief drawn from a deserved victory and a clean sheet against an Arsenal team sitting second in the table, Kilman and his teammates head into Thursday evening’s home game with Leicester City seeking back-to-back top-flight wins for the first time since March 2024.
“It's going to be a completely different challenge,” he observed. “Of course, we're at home, we have to try and come out with more confidence, we have to try and dominate the ball and, of course, it's going to be an opportunity to get a back-to-back win.
“We're definitely very confident for this game and we need to show as much as we can about how much we want to win and do our best.
“Our mentality will be massive. As every game in the Premier League is, regardless of who you're playing, it's always really tough as all of our opponents are good players. So, of course, it's going to be a really tough challenge, so our mentality has got to be: ‘We need to set our stall out from the start of the game and do our best and make sure we come away with a good result’.”
