Kurt Zouma believes West Ham United can be proud of their performances over the opening third of the 2023/24 season.
The Hammers go into the November international break ninth in the Premier League table, top of their UEFA Europa League group and through to the EFL Cup quarter-finals.
With Zouma back to lead the team after a two-match injury absence, the Irons came from behind to defeat Nottingham Forest 3-2 at London Stadium on Sunday, ending a five-match winless run in the top-flight and sending them away on international duty or for a few well-earned days off in good spirits.
The game itself was a rollercoaster, with Lucas Paquetá’s early opener being trumped by Taiwo Awoniyi and Anthony Elanga’s goals either side of half-time, before Jarrod Bowen and Tomáš Souček headed the home side to a valuable victory.
“That was lively!” he smiled. “The most important thing was to win, especially after three defeats on the bounce, we had to react and I think we did well today, especially in the final period. We were 2-1 down and came back and scored the third one.
“The Premier League is tough because all the teams can play football and can hurt any of the other teams, and I think today I would say this victory was important.
“I think we gave our all in the last 30 minutes because we knew we had to win the game, especially for the fans as well, because they’ve been supporting us throughout everything, so we wanted to win this for them as well.
“Like I said, we had lost three on the bounce which is not possible for this West Ham team with the quality that we have, so it’s good to get the win today before the break, for the head as well.
“Some players are going away on internationals and others have a short break, so hopefully we’ll come back with the same spirit and ready to win more games.”
West Ham have now played 18 games in 2023/24, winning ten and losing just six, while Nottingham Forest’s visit to London Stadium was just their 13th match of the season.
Of course, footballers love playing football more than anything, but the relative lack of recovery and preparation time compared to their opponents meant Sunday’s game was a demanding one both physically and mentally for Zouma and his teammates.
“Football is not easy as people might think, but football is football and we wanted to be where we are, playing in every competition, playing in Europe, so we’re happy,” he explained. “Physically, it’s demanding, but that’s what we’re here for and why we have a big squad.
“We need wins which we can celebrate like this and hopefully we can keep this feeling.”
For Zouma himself, leading the team to victory on his return was hugely enjoyable.
“It’s a nice feeling to be back with a win, especially like this, as it was very demanding and very lively!” he confirmed.
“For my part, playing 90 minutes again, I’d missed it for a week, so coming back with a win was important and I’m happy to have helped the team the best way I can.”
