Following consecutive victories over Crystal Palace and Middlesbrough, the Argentine midfielder looks back to his best and showed his quality once again when he set up two goals during the 3-1 win over the north east Club in the last Premier League game.
Lanzini is now hoping to make it a hat-trick of victories and says he is looking forward to showcasing his talents against the former Premier League champions....
Manuel, you seem to be producing some of your best form of the season. How much of this do you put down to a regular run in the team and how settled do you feel playing at the heart of the West Ham midfield?
ML: “I did have a hard start to the season and of course the team’s results were not as good as we expected.
“When I came back from injury I wasn’t straight back to the level I was at last year but I now feel fully fit and 100 per cent ready to keep developing and performing well.
“The coach decides the formations and the systems that we play and as players, we adapt to that.
“In general, I feel very confident and it’s great to have the full support of the coaching team and I’m just giving 100 per cent to help the Club.
“To be honest, I don’t like changing about [position] that much. When you play regularly in the same position, it helps to build your confidence but of course when the team and the coach need us to adapt, I can adapt to that of course.”
Andy Carroll mentioned that the support in the last home game against Crystal Palace was the only topic dominating the dressing room after the game. How much do you feel the support from the fans inside London Stadium and how can it help inspire the players?
ML: “Having the fans behind us is always very important and we know they support us, and that motivates us.
“We know that if we play well, we will have their support and our confidence increases and we’ll be able to play better as a team.”
How much confidence do the players take from recent games and what does it do for the morale in the squad when we put a run of wins together?
ML: “Yes, the team has quality. If you look at the players we have here, we are capable of doing well.
“We have got a few wins and we need to maintain that as it increases the confidence around the whole club.”
ML: “Of course Slaven has been very important because he’s the person who has brought me here and he has shown confidence and faith in me from the beginning.
“He’s taken the time out to speak to me on many occasions so I’m very happy to be with him and I hope to be able to give everything back in the way he has shown faith in me.”
We are facing another big game against Manchester City on Wednesday night. How much are you look forward to facing the former Premier League champions and coming up against a player like David Silva who plays in a similar position?
ML: “David Silva is a player who I always enjoy watching and he is very good on the pitch.
“We play in the same position and he’s someone that I have learnt from and at a young age, he was the type of player I enjoy watching.
“I like to watch older players who have that experience and then applying that to my game.”
A lot of the young West Ham fans look up to someone like Manuel Lanzini. How much do you enjoy being a role-model and teaching youngsters how to improve as a player?
ML: “You play football to improve, and also when I was young I came from the bottom and there were players that I looked up to.
“Now I’m in a position where I can try to teach other players and show them what I do, and also they learn about the sacrifices involved in football and that you have to be very humble.
“If you are, then everything is possible. That’s in personal terms and also in the football world.
“I’m used to London now and it’s a beautiful city and it now really feels like home.”