- Algerian winger Sofiane Feghouli said Slaven Bilic can count on him as West Ham look to improve their Premier League position
- The 27-year-old insisted the confidence is high after the 3-0 win over Crystal Palace last weekend
- Feghouli scored the opener in last weekend’s victory at London Stadium
Summer signing Sofiane Feghouli is ready to play a major part for West Ham United as the Club look to move up the table following last weekend’s win over Crystal Palace.
The Algerian scored in the side’s 3-0 London derby win and hopes the Hammers can put back-to-back league wins on the board on Saturday with a win over Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium.
Since signing from Spanish outfit Valencia in the summer, the winger has suffered with injuries but, now fit and firing, Feghouli hopes he can show his quality in Claret and Blue on a consistent basis.
He said: “I haven’t played that much in recent months, and I must say that I thought adapting to English football would be much harder, but it shows that I must be fit and adapted to the game.
“I scored the other day and the coach [Slaven Bilic] knows he can count on me. I’m ready to play every week, and hopefully I will stay clear of injuries and help the Club move up the table.
“I am very happy at the moment. I was delighted to score in my second start here. My first start, I think I was quite unlucky to get sent off against Manchester United after only 15 minutes, but on the weekend I played the whole game and the whole team, the supporters and everyone was very happy.”
Slaven Bilic’s side could only record a 1-1 draw with Boro earlier this term at London Stadium, but having beaten Palace comfortably, Feghouli insisted the confidence is high ahead of the clash on Saturday.
“It’s always tough to predict how matches go in the Premier League,” he continued. “It will be a very intense game and they’re very good at home, so it will be hard.
“The win against Crystal Palace was a big boost to our confidence but of course there are areas in our game that we need to work on.
“Every game in the Premier League is difficult and Middlesbrough are a very hard team to beat, especially at home. We go there with lots of confidence and we will be going for the win.
“As a team, we have been conceding too many goals, and I’d say that the defensive work does start with our attacking players. The win against Palace did boost our confidence and we’re aiming high now. We’re all very humble players that are capable of improving.
“We want to get the win but we know that we will need to be patient and take our chances. If we go there in good spirits there is no reason why we can’t win the game.”