Coufal insists West Ham squad can handle long Europa League run

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Coufal insists West Ham squad can handle long Europa League run

West Ham defender Vladimir Coufal insists the squad can handle a long Europa League run.

Coufal has rejected concerns about West Ham's ability to cope with a demanding domestic and European schedule, insisting the squad has the depth and mentality to go all the way in the Europa League.

“Our winning mentality is different now. We fight to win every game," Coufal told the London Evening Standard. “We believe we can beat everyone in the Premier League and everyone in Europe. We're very hard to play against and we will fight every minute on the pitch.

“It's the [club's] first time in Europe again for a long time, but we can be successful. We can go to the final. I would like to win the Europa League this season for the West Ham fans. We've signed some very good players and the squad is strong enough to fight for this competition, the Premier League and the [domestic] cups. We can be successful like last season."

Key to West Ham's hopes of success will be adapting to a new rhythm of playing regular midweek matches but Coufal prefers a more demanding schedule.

“I cannot speak for the [rest of the] guys but for me it's simply the perfect situation," he said. “I really enjoy playing every second or third day.

“I experienced it with [former clubs] Slovan Liberec and Slavia Prague, and with the [Czech Republic] national team as well. I'm glad we have a more demanding schedule with West Ham."