El Hadji Malick Diouf has acknowledged the challenge posed by Arsenal but says the energy within the West Ham United squad means the players are eager to test themselves against the Gunners at Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
Following our 1-1 draw at Everton’s new Hill Dickinson Stadium on Monday, where Jarrod Bowen’s second-half goal helped Nuno Espírito Santo’s side claim a point in his first game in charge of the Hammers, our No12 says the team are in great spirits after a solid away performance that showed our quality and character.
West Ham have won at Arsenal in each of the previous two Premier League seasons, albeit before Diouf's summer arrival from Slavia Prague, and the Senegal star is eager to experience victory in north London himself this weekend.
“It was a good point (Everton), and it was not easy,” said Diouf. “The second half was good, and we showed a lot of character, which I think is really important.
“We are really enjoying working with the new Head Coach because he's a good guy and already has the experience of the Premier League. He can help us and help me as a young player, and that’s what we need. I think we can learn also about him, and we are all happy to welcome him here. We started with a positive result, and we can have a good season with him.
“You can see from the whole team, there is a lot of new energy. We have something here, and we have a lot of good players. The quality is there, and everything can change. We just need time. We have to be calm and take our time. We must play as a team, defend together and attack together, and I think if we do that, we will finish high in the table.”
Nuno arrived at Rush Green last weekend, and Diouf, who says players are working tirelessly to adapt to the 51-year-old’s style and approach.
He added: “We’re working hard because we need a lot of communication between the players. I think we adapted well in the first game. It's only set pieces, and we know we need to be better collectively, but overall, I think with the back four, we were very stable. We just have to do what the Head Coach tells us to, and I think it will be better.
“We need to listen to him and do what he says, and we have to do it properly. I think the set pieces are about the personal responsibility, and it doesn’t matter how long you work on it; it's about making sure you do your own job, and we have to take responsibility to defend properly.”
Having already directly set up three goals in the Premier League this term, the Senegal international has the most assists of any defender in Europe's top five leagues.
Indeed, only Michael Carrick (seven), Joe Cole (six), Jermain Defoe (six) and Frank Lampard (five) have recorded more assists for the Hammers in the English top-flight before their 21st birthday.
And Diouf is enjoying his own personal start to the campaign, but stressed that collective achievement will always be more important than individual achievement.
He explained: "It's important to think about yourself, but for me I just really focus on the team, and I think about myself second. I think if I continue to provide a lot of assists also, then someone also has to score.
"It's just about helping the team and making the team great. I never give up, and if you want to score, you have to put more pressure on the opponent and want it more than them, and that’s what I always try to do every time I wear the West Ham shirt.
“We are looking forward to making a good result (against Arsenal), but we know it will be really, really difficult. We know that, but we have to be confident.
“We have to be confident and ready to defend properly. They are good from set pieces. We are not scared, and I’m confident we can win. I believe in my team. I believe in what I see here, my teammates and also myself.
"Arsenal are a really good team and maybe one of the top teams in the world just now. They have a really good squad, but so do we, and we are looking forward to it.”
