Konstantinos Mavropanos is hoping his recent performances in cup competitions can earn him the opportunity to impress in the Premier League.
The Greek international has put in immense shifts at the heart of defence in recent showings, with his efforts in the 3-1 Carabao Cup fourth round win over Arsenal on Wednesday earning the 25-year-old rave reviews from the Claret and Blue Army.
With big performances in the UEFA Europa League too, Mavropanos is optimistic his good form can earn him a first start in the Premier League for the Hammers sooner rather than later.
“Wednesday was a great night for all of us. It was an amazing game and all of the guys worked really hard. We deserved to win,” the centre-back told West Ham TV.
“We did exactly what the manager and the coaching staff asked us to do, and we transferred that onto the pitch. We put it in place against a good opponent and everyone worked really hard, so you can see we deserved that win.
“I work hard and when I have the chance to play – whether that’s in the cup games, UEFA Europa League or Premier League – I try to do my best. I hope that is a reason for the boss to keep giving me chances.”
“I work hard and when I have the chance to play – whether that’s in the cup games, UEFA Europa League or Premier League – I try to my best. I hope that is a reason for the boss to keep giving me chances.”
In particular, West Ham’s attacking intent in the second half of Wednesday’s cup fixture caught the eye. Mohammed Kudus and Jarrod Bowen both scored excellent finishes, putting the Hammers on course to a superb win.
Mavropanos was keen to praise both the attacking players and the defensive unit in the victory over Arsenal, with a spot in the last eight to look forward to.
He continued: “When we came out for the second half, we went directly on the attack. We had the chances and we got a couple of amazing goals. I think, after those goals went in, the game was definitely over.”
“Everyone worked really hard. I really think we were amazing both offensively and defensively, and everyone deserves the credit for this result.
“We’re looking forward to the next game now, the quarter-finals, and we want to push on.”
Beating Arsenal ended a disappointing run of results for the Hammers and Mavropanos is confident the Irons have turned a corner as they head into November.
Up next is a trip to Brentford in the Premier League and the centre-back knows the team have the quality to come back to east London with all three points.
“We had a couple of bad results in the last few games. We lost three games, but this game gave us a massive boost and now that will help us to work hard for the coming games.”
