Tomáš Souček admitted that West Ham United did not deserve to take anything from Sunday’s Premier League season opener against Manchester City.
The Hammers were on the wrong end of a 2-0 defeat, after the visitors’ summer signing Erling Haaland scored a goal in each half to settle the contest in front of a record home crowd of 62,443.
Souček’s side showed flashes for the Claret and Blue Army with Michail Antonio and Jarrod Bowen going close in a whirlwind start, while Declan Rice and Saïd Benrahma had second half chances, yet ultimately the Citizens proved too strong.
The No28 felt the Hammers could have got closer to the champions – as they did in the 2-2 draw at the back end of last season – and knows they need to show more when they head to Nottingham Forest for our first away game of the campaign next Sunday.
“The game didn’t go the way we wanted,” the Czech Republic international admitted. “We had a good first couple of minutes and created a chance from the corner, but after that we weren’t where we wanted to be.
“We deserved to lose today. It was a big game for us as our first one and we need to [up our levels] for the next one.”
Among the positives for the Hammers was a debut from the bench for summer arrival Gianluca Scamacca.
The 23-year-old came on for the final 33 minutes and offered signs of what he will offer his new side, linking the play neating and testing Ederson with a powerful header, albeit from an offside position.
Souček is looking forward to seeing more of the Italian as he settles into life in east London.
“It’s good for us and for him,” he continued. “He got his first minutes today and I hope he adds many more and helps us get results.
The first half of the 2022/23 season promises to be a whirlwind of games for the Hammers, but they have a rare full week to prepare for their trip to the City Ground.
For Souček, he is relishing getting back to work and righting the wrongs of Sunday in their next assignment.
“Nottingham Forest next week is a very important game for us,” he added. “Today we played one of the best teams in the world and the next one will be important because we don’t want to have zero points after two games.
“We need to improve everything and get ready for Nottingham Forest.”
