Tomáš Souček expressed his frustration with West Ham United’s poor start that ultimately left them with too much to do during Friday night’s 2-1 defeat at Leeds United.
The Hammers found themselves on the back foot within three minutes at Elland Road, when Brenden Aaronson prodded in from close range, and then 2-0 behind by the quarter-hour mark as Joe Rodon headed in a Sean Longstaff corner.
Captain Jarrod Bowen went close with an acrobatic attempt in between the hosts’ goals, while a Lucas Paquetá strike was disallowed for offside, and though Mateus Fernandes did eventually get us on the scoresheet in the 90th minute, it proved too little, too late.
Souček, who made his 200th Premier League appearance in West Yorkshire, said: “Our aim was obviously to score first, but we conceded early so it was a really tough start.
“We had a couple of chances to draw level, with Jarrod’s overhead kick and then a header from me, but they got their second. We got a goal, but we were in a losing position for almost all the game, so we know we need to step up.
“I think we have to continue working hard at being tighter defensively, because it’s always going to be hard to have to score two or three goals to get a result. I think we have to start from the defence and then look at creating chances, but overall we have to fight and win every ball.”
At 30 years of age, with over 250 West Ham appearances to his name and as the captain of his national team, Czechia, Souček believes he has a big role to play in helping wrestle his side up the Premier League table over the coming weeks.
The Irons are currently sitting in the relegation zone, after nine games played, and with two home matches to come next, against Newcastle United and Burnley, our No28 is eyeing a considerable change in fortunes.
He added: “We know we’re in a serious situation, and we can’t let any more games get past us now. We have to step up, improve and start getting points on the board.
“I’ve been at the Club for a long time now and I’m really experienced, so I have to take responsibility and help make sure everyone is doing their job. We all have to be leaders, start showing our quality, and get results for the fans.”
