Coufal spoke about dropping out of the lineup. What did he say about the form of his young competitor?

He was named West Ham’s best signing of last season, and according to many experts he was the best right back of the whole season, but in October Vladimir Coufal lost his place in the squad. What did he have to say to the club website?

West Ham fans quickly grew to love Vladimir Coufal. They were impressed by his hard work, dynamism, accurate centres and high confidence. The national defender managed to pass for eight goals, but he is still waiting for his first goal.

“I think I’ve been waiting too long for a goal. I have to shoot more and score, it’s easy,” Coufal explained in an interview with the club’s website.

Coufal is expected to be in the starting line-up for the Europa League match against Genk on Thursday. It was against the Belgian side that he managed to score almost three years ago. It was his only goal in this competition.

It was also thanks to him that Slavia reached the eight finals, where their fairy tale continued with a win over Sevilla. I remember that game. We won and advanced to the next stage. We could do something similar with West Ham,” he says.

West Ham have the group stage in their hands after three rounds. The Hammers dominate Group H with nine points, enjoying a six-point lead over second-placed Dinamo Zagreb.

Therefore, if they win on Thursday, they will secure qualification for the knockout stages. In addition to the winning streak, they would also like to extend their streak of three cup clean sheets in a row.

“I have to say that after the draw we expected it to be an even group. The opponents played very well against us. We want to create a record by not scoring a goal. It would be a nice bonus,” he added.

Coufal was injured in early October and his deputy, Ben Johnson, seized the opportunity. The Czech Republic international has not yet returned to the squad after his recovery, but Johnson scored against Aston Villa at the weekend to further strengthen his position as the current number one.

“He’s a young lad from our academy, he did well. I have to really praise him because he scored a goal as well and did really well. If you want to have a successful team, you need to have double positions. Competition is good for you because when you are on your own in the post, your motivation can fall off. He pushed me and I’m determined to keep doing my best for the team,” Coufal concluded.

Source: West Ham United