James Ward-Prowse admitted that the Hammers have to step up considerably if we are to fulfil the early season promise which suggested we would join the likes of Villa and Brighton in a top four or six challenge.
To describe the defeat at Villa Park as a disappointment barely does the word credit – we were awful and rarely showed the attacking enterprise which will be required if we are to maintain a strong challenge anywhere near the top.
We have now lost three matches and drawn one against teams with big ambitions conceding 12 goals along the way – hardly the sort of form of which dreams are made.
Ward-Prowse is an honest broker but of course there is little point in being anything else in such circumstances after we have slipped to ninth after such a decent start.
Commenting after the game he said: “This Club wants to be in that region of the table challenging, and today is a realisation of what it takes to be at that level. So as long as we come away from this knowing what needs to be done to get in there, it can be a valuable day come the end of the season if we learn from it.” .
Ward-Prowse continued: “I think it was an entertaining game for the neutral. We had a few chances but maybe didn’t make the right decision in the first half in certain moments and made a few individual errors. Collectively, as a team, we can do a lot better than that. It was just a bad day and one we go away and reflect on now and make sure we become hard to beat again because I think it’s in West Ham’s DNA not to be beaten easily.”
Jarrod Bowen had halved West Ham’s arrears before the hour-mark but the on fire Ollie Watkins then raced away to clinch the game with a fine left footed effort.
And Ward-Prowse said: “I think, in that moment, we should have recognised it a little bit more and been more structured and made it more difficult for them. “But I think we went chasing it at certain moments and when you give the boys they’ve got up top space in behind, they’re going to exploit it, and they did.”
The No7 concluded: “There are so many games in the season, a game every three days, so it’s important we don’t dwell on it but we do look at it and at what went wrong and ensure there is a reaction in the next game.”