Yahoo Finance Aaron Cresswell: West Ham relegation scrap helped fuel our charge into Europe
Aaron Cresswell today revealed that the mentality which has driven West Ham to new heights under David Moyes was forged during the club’s struggle against relegation.
The Hammers have pushed on from last season’s sixth-placed finish in the Premier League, losing just one game across three competitions this season.
That sole defeat came at Manchester United last weekend, but Moyes’s side took revenge against the Scot’s former club with a Carabao Cup victory at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
West Ham were deep in a relegation battle when Moyes returned as Manuel Pellegrini’s successor in December 2019. The former Everton boss kept them up and then qualified for Europe with last season’s impressive finish.
Cresswell, one of the most improved players under Moyes, says that togetherness continues to drive the squad now.
“It’s a case of keeping your head down and working hard,” he said. “That togetherness we’ve got is massive. It’s all well and good when you’re winning games and at the top of the league, but when you’re at the other end at the league — and we’ve had that a couple of years ago, too, which isn’t nice — you need it, too. We pulled through that and can see the better side of it now. In anyone’s career you hit highs and lows and it’s how you come out of those that matters.”
Asked about the impact Moyes has made, Cresswell said: “He’s been fantastic. I was here the first time round and he did very well, and he came back later and kept us up in the Premier League.
“The progression of the club over the last 18 months has been a great turnaround. We want to keep it that way now and keep being positive and trying to win as many games as we can and play in big competitions.”
Moyes made 10 changes for the win over United in midweek meaning the Hammers should be fresh for tomorrow’s trip to Leeds.
They face Rapid Vienna in the Europa League on Thursday, but Marcelo Bielsa’s side will prove a stern test.
Michail Antonio will lead the attack after being suspended for the Premier League defeat to United and rested at Old Trafford on Wednesday.
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