West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice has hailed the pre match speeches from Mark Noble and Pablo Zabaleta as being key to the team’s victory against Everton on Sunday.
The Hammers competed a comfortable 3-1 win over the Toffees at Goodison Park, their first three points of the season, and Rice has said that the leadership shown by captain Noble and veteran Zabaleta was vital.
“That was the thing before the game, we all got together and Zaba and Nobes said ‘Whatever happens today, go out and give 100 per cent because that’s what the fans want and that’s what West Ham are about’,” Rice told the club’s official website.
“You could see that in the first half and in the second half, when Everton found it hard to break us down. I thought we were superb. We covered all the ground, made tackles, took some yellow cards and defended well.”
OPINION
When a team is struggling, like West Ham have been at the start of this season, it’s important that the senior players in the squad step up and show leadership. The younger players and the new members of the playing squad need figureheads to look up to and to direct them, and Noble and Zabaleta provided that on Sunday. The captain’s return from injury was huge for the Hammers at Goodison Park, both on and off the pitch. His impact was felt from the first whistle, and clearly even before then by his fellow West Ham players. Zabaleta, as well, is a proven winner with Manchester City and it was vital that he brought that winning mentality to the London Stadium. He showed that he’s one of the key men for the East London outfit on Sunday, and supporters should applaud the leadership shown by the Englishman and the Argentine on Merseyside.
