West Ham United manager Manuel Pellegrini has stressed the importance of mental strength to prosper in the Premier League ahead of the Hammers' trip to face Newcastle United on Saturday.
The Hammers will be aiming to bounce back from the 4-0 thrashing at the hands of Manchester City last Saturday at the London Stadium when they face a resurgent Newcastle at St James’ Park.
Pellegrini’s men have had a tough run of fixtures in the Premier League after facing all of the top six during their first 13 games of the new campaign.
However, they are now scheduled to face teams in the bottom half in six of their seven games leading up to the festive period and new year.
Despite their relatively smooth run of fixtures in December, Pellegrini will know that there is no room for complacency, especially considering the fact that West Ham have struggled to take maximum points from teams in and around them.
The Chilean stressed the importance of mental strength to do well in the Premier League and admitted that he will try and win against Newcastle on Tyneside.
“The pressure is always the same. I never think we can lose games, we always try to win”, Pellegrini told reporters in a press conference.
“We have played well against big teams but maybe not so against teams around us so it is important to have a strong mind.
“Every game in the Premier League is difficult.
“I always have my mentality that we can beat every team and we will go to Newcastle and try to win.”
West Ham will have their work cut out on Saturday against Newcastle, who have won three straight games in the Premier League, a run that includes victories over Watford and Bournemouth in recent weeks.
