Fabian Balbuena says he and his West Ham United teammates share the responsibility for recent defeats and the determination to return to winning ways at Southampton on Saturday.
The Paraguayan defender admits the Hammers have made far too many defensive mistakes during a run of one win in ten Premier League matches that has seen the Londoners plummet from fifth to 16th in the table.
With those errors and the pain of losing seven of those ten matches fresh in their minds, Balbuena insists the squad is determined to produce an improved display at St Mary’s Stadium.
We know the players we have in our squad, so we try to win. Of course, we know our responsibilities
Fabian Balbuena
“We need to be focused for all of the game, not just 60 minutes or 90 minutes, because we know that the game is 90 minutes or a little bit more,” said the centre-back. “We have to be concentrated, focused, to try not to concede easy goals.
“As a team I think we are not in a good moment, but we have good players with good quality and a lot of experience, to reverse the bad moment. We are confident to do that.
“We know the players we have in our squad, so we try to win. Of course, we know our responsibilities. As I say, we know we've made mistakes so, on that point specifically, we know we have to improve to get results.”
What is more, Balbuena says the squad want to repay the faith and support they receive, unstintingly, from both manager Manuel Pellegrini and the Claret and Blue Army.
“When you are in a team, in a club like West Ham, you are always with pressure because you have a lot of fans behind you, supporting you, every game we play, home and away,” he observed. “We feel their support and we know we have to get that result. We're working for that.
“Of course, it hurts [when we hear the fans booing us] but we know that in some ways we deserve it, because we're not winning at home for four or five games at our stadium in front of our fans. We know that our duty is to get that happiness to our fans, and we have to do it in the next game. We know how to do it, to play very well and try to win.
“We [also] know that when you are in a bad moment, always talking about the manager is the easy way but we know the work we have to do, and what we have to try to do in games to get the results.
“The manager trusts in all the squad, all the players, and we have the same sensation with him. Because we are here working with him for one-and-a-half seasons, we know perfectly what he wants and we try to do it, but sometimes in the little things we are making mistakes. We need and have to improve on that to get the results.”