Declan Rice is determined that he and his West Ham United teammates will make their first London Stadium performance of the 2018/19 campaign a ‘pleasing’ one for supporters, when Bournemouth visit on Saturday.
The Irons will welcome the Cherries to Stratford this weekend as Manuel Pellegrini prepares for his home bow as West Ham manager, after the side were defeated 4-0 by Liverpool in the first game of the campaign.
Rice was substituted at half-time in last weekend’s fixture and is targeting a better performance, both from himself and the team, against Bournemouth.
It’s really important that we bounce back in a way that is pleasing for the home fans this Saturday against Bournemouth.
Declan Rice
The 19-year-old knows the importance of a strong showing in front of the Claret and Blue supporters and is eager to get a first win on the board.
“Liverpool was a really tough game, we know that, and we’re all training hard,” Rice told whufc.com. “For me, personally, I came off at half-time at Anfield. It was a tough game and I know I can play better than I showed.
“I’ve been training really well this week and we’ve got two more sessions until Saturday’s game. I just want to keep improving and keep showing the manager that I’m the right man to play.
“It’s really important that we bounce back in a way that is pleasing for the home fans this Saturday against Bournemouth. We want to succeed this weekend and get our first three points on the table.”
Nine new players joined West Ham in the transfer window, all of which could make their first London Stadium appearance for the Hammers since signing this weekend.
Rice knows the West Ham fans are anticipating a good performance from the side and is firm in his belief that the team can provide exactly that.
He added: “It’s really important for us to get a good result. The Club has spent a lot of money this summer and the fans want to see a return on that investment. We want to do just that.
“We want to win for them, go out there and impress, and get the three-points to kick-start our season.”