Pellegrini aware of Hammers’ situation

West Ham boss Manuel Pellegrini hopes the international break has not robbed his side of their “ambition and winning mentality”. The Hammers have made a decent start to the season and currently sit eighth in the Premier League table, but co-owner David Gold has called for a response after losing 2-1 at home to Crystal Palace before the hiatus.
That result ended a run of six Premier League games without defeat that had prompted talk of a real push for the European spots.
Despite that reverse against the Eagles, West Ham are just three points shy of third-place Arsenal.
Pellegrini’s side have the chance to jump into the top six when they travel to Everton in Saturday’s early game.
Getting three points would surely please the Chilean and Goodison Park is a ground he has fond memories of after he picked up his first victory in the job last season.
Opposite number Marco Silva is under pressure, with just two wins on the board this season, and another defeat could spell the end of the Portuguese’s reign.
Pellegrini says he has not used the break in fixtures to dwell on his team’s defeat to Palace, instead suggesting their current position shows where they belong.
The 66-year-old is happy with his team’s start to the season although he has also identified a number of areas where he thinks there is room for improvement. “We don’t need an international break to assess the season so far, we always do that,” he says. “We have played eight games and we need to continue having the ambition and winning mentality. “I think we are where we deserve to be and we are clear in what we need to improve.”
After the trip to Goodison, West Ham can look forward to a winnable run of games against Sheffield United, Newcastle and Burnley before successive London derbies against Tottenham and Chelsea.