Tomáš Souček is convinced that West Ham United’s exit from the Emirates FA Cup on Wednesday evening will be a mere blip in what has been an impressive return to form over the last few weeks.
Manchester United made a dramatic comeback to defeat the Irons 3-1 after a Saïd Benrahma stunner opened the scoring at Old Trafford, although there were some positives to take from the performance, not least the emergence once more of the midfield three.
As the trio did in a 4-0 win over Nottingham Forest, Souček lined up alongside Declan Rice and Paquetá in Stretford, with the Czech skipper notably playing in a slightly more advanced role that he has been traditionally accustomed to since joining West Ham in January 2020.
With the license to surge into the box and show his attacking and aerial qualities, Souček has also often shifted into a front two - with Michail Antonio against the Red Devils and Danny Ings against Forest - to lead the Hammers’ press.
“We have had time [as a three] together,” Souček said, on his partnership with Rice and Paquetá, “and I just hope we show more and more on the pitch, which can bring us more good things.
“I prefer all of the positions in the midfield, even playing as a defensive midfielder. But what I like the most is the rotation between the three. If we get better and better in the middle, we will rotate with each other. It’s great for us and it is tough for the opponent as they don’t know who will be in what position. I like having the freedom to change between us and I hope it will carry on."
The success of such rotation was clear as a brace from Ings and goals from Rice and Antonio saw the Hammers sweep Forest a-side at London Stadium last weekend.
And now, Souček, who, honestly, admits the Hammers’ next fixture away to Brighton & Hove Albion will be ‘very tough’ knows the confidence from the win will be crucial on Saturday. After all, David Moyes’ men seek a first Premier League win over the Seagulls at the 12th attempt. Historically it has not swung the way of the Hammers, something Souček is desperate to change.
“A win gives you more confidence,” the Czech stated. “These points are very important, and we want to go out of the relegation zone and move forward.
“The squad is very strong, we just didn’t get the right moment at the beginning of the season and after that, it’s always difficult to go from a lower position to a higher one. Now we can see from the performances, even when we didn’t win against Chelsea and Newcastle we played very well.
“I am enjoying the football [we are playing at the moment]. I am happy with how we have performed and how I have performed myself and will do everything possible on the pitch [against Brighton to continue that].”
