- Cheikhou Kouyate says confidence will quickly return if West Ham United win at Hull City
- Hammers star helped Senegal to 1-1 draw with Nigeria in north London on Thursday
- No8 believes Andy Carroll should have been called-up by England
Cheikhou Kouyate believes West Ham United are only one win from confidence flooding back through their Claret and Blue veins.
The Hammers went into the international break on a five-match Premier League winless run, culminating in a tough 3-2 home defeat by Leicester City at London Stadium on Saturday.
Speaking to Ian ‘Moose’ Abrahams following Senegal’s 1-1 friendly draw with Nigeria in north London on Thursday evening, Kouyate said victory at Hull City on 1 April will see the Hammers regain their belief for the final weeks of the season.
“We played five games and when you don’t win, and if you don’t win every time then you have ‘This is no good, this is no good!’,” he explained.
“If we win one game, everything comes and confidence comes, so if we win then this is good.”
Kouyate captained Senegal in Barnet on Wednesday, starting the game in central midfield before moving to centre-back after coach Aliou Cisse made a succession of second-half substitutions.
The Lions of Teranga went ahead through Moussa Sow’s goal before Manchester City’s Kelechi Iheanacho equalised from the penalty spot in a game organised to prepare both clubs for future Africa Cup of Nations and FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
If we win one game, everything comes and confidence comes, so if we win then this is good
Cheikhou Kouyate
“It was a good game and it was possible for us to win this game, but after they scored from a penalty and made it 1-1, it was a good result for Senegal.
“I played in a lot of different positions, but I can tell you my best position is midfield, and centre-back is better than right-back, you know!”
While Kouyate and company are off to Paris to take on Ivory Coast on Monday, his West Ham teammate Andy Carroll remains at Rush Green after being overlooked by England.
The No8 believes Carroll should have received the call from Gareth Southgate after scoring six goals in 14 Premier League appearances since returning from injury in December.
“For me, I don’t understand why England don’t call Andy because he has scored a lot of goals, but that is down to the manager,” Kouyate observed. “Maybe he will be called in the next international break.”