West Ham need to cut out individual mistakes if they are to gain victory

As West Ham United’s clash against Southampton draws upon us, it is unequivocally a match in which maximum points are a must for the Hammers if they want to move up and out of the relegation zone.

Last time out at London Stadium against Brighton, West Ham United blew a valuable lead when leading 3-1 with just 20 minutes to spare, surrendering a chance to leap above their opponents and out of the relegation zone.

It was individual errors on that day that cost the team three points, and if David Moyes’ side hopes to prove victorious against the Saints, those kinds of mistakes will have to be completely wiped out. If not, it could look like past matches that we’ve seen.

It was a similar story against Liverpool at Anfield on Monday, where the Irons led through a Pablo Fornals strike before yet again collapsing just as they began to see light at the end of the tunnel. It is now 22 points dropped from winning positions this season – a figure that sees West Ham top that particular table.

This statistic points to a lack of confidence throughout the team. A notion that when they do find themselves in rewarding positions, they don’t believe that they will hold out for the win. But with just 11 matches to go, this mindset needs to be completely abolished as time is running out in the race for Premier League survival.

With a much-needed, comfortable victory against Southampton, a psychological turnaround may occur where the players no longer fear being in the lead and in turn start to relish those situations instead. A rush of blood to the head in defense or a slip of the goalkeeper’s gloves may no longer be the norm and cutting out these mistakes will turn losses and draws into invaluable victories.