Paul Konchesky knows a tough test is awaiting his West Ham United Women’s team against Chelsea on Wednesday evening but is adamant his side can rediscover their best form.
A London derby played in midweek, under the lights, against a Chelsea side that have just won the FA Cup and are chasing the Barclays Women’s Super League title awaits the Irons on Wednesday, and manager Konchesky is only too aware that form is not on his team’s side.
A disappointing recent run has curtailed what had started as an excellent campaign for the Hammers, who will take on a Blues side that have won their last four league matches and have suffered just two league defeats this season.
“We know it’s going to be a tough game,” Konchesky said. “Chelsea have just added another trophy to their cabinet and they’ve got a very strong squad. That’s probably why they are where they are. They’ve got a squad that can compete with the very best in most competitions.
“They’re coming off the back of their FA Cup win but, listening to Emma Hayes’ post-match interviews on Sunday, they’ve got a tired team and perhaps we will see them make a few changes on Wednesday. But, whoever they play, we know they’ve got good players and it will be a very challenging game.”
Despite recent results not going West Ham’s way, Konchesky has seen positive elements in almost all of the side’s matches and knows how desperate the team are to add more points to their tally.
A home fixture will put the Irons in front of the Claret and Bliue Army too, which the manager knows will be a massive asset for the side as they look to claim victory.
“I would put our recent form down to a couple of different things. I’ve personally been through runs like this as a player so I can understand what the squad are feeling right now. It’s a tough time for all of us and, as a whole group, we are working on that together.
“We’ve been close to winning games in this run, but haven’t quite got over the line. I would say we’ve been in almost every game competitively though and we’re all eager to put things right.
“We have to worry about ourselves and what we need from the game. We’re going through a tough time, and we know that. But, on the flip side, there is arguably no better game we could play to try and put that right.
“We’re going to be playing a London derby, under the lights, at home with our fans right behind us. There is no better game than that to try and get back to winning ways.”
The Hammers can take heart from the visit of another title-chasing WSL side back in February, when a heroic defensive effort saw the Irons hold Arsenal to a 0-0 draw.
Konchesky believes a similar level of resiliency and tenacity will be required on Wednesday.
“These top teams are always hard but we can look back to our draw at home to Arsenal, another title contender, and we can take a lot from that,” he added. “It was probably one of our best performances and we had a good game against a very good side.
“The performance that day was what this team is about, and what I expect from this group of players. I think we can take the positives from that game and apply them to this Chelsea fixture. We need to stay in the game, which will come from working hard and playing together.”
