West Ham's Fabio Daprela admits his frustration at his lack of match action
West Ham full back Fabio Daprela believes it has been a frustrating season for both him and the club, but is confident they can both end the season on a high
West Ham full back Fabio Daprela believes it has been a frustrating season for both him and the club, but is confident they can both end the season on a high.
The Swiss under-19 defender has found opportunities limited at Upton Park this season and has been watching most of the Hammers relegation battle either on the bench or in the stands.
In fact, Daprela had only started twice, with both of those appearances coming in cup competitions.
The defender joined from Grasshoppers in the summer and his league debut came against Chelsea in the 4-1 defeat at Stamford Bridge last Saturday.
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And, with eight games to go in the campaign the East End club are far from safe, but Daprela has faith in those around him.
"I think West Ham have the players to keep us up this season, to win the two games against Wolves and Stoke are important." he said.
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"We have some very important games to play and we need to get some wins. We need a little bit of luck, but we also need our best team on the field.
"It has been a difficult season for the whole club and the whole team.
"When the manager needs me to play I play, or when he needs me on the bench it's okay. It has been a little bit disappointing yes, but I am okay. I am young, I am playing for the Swiss under-19s and I am still learning."
The Chelsea game was quite a baptism of fire for Daprela, but he handled the pressure well and he was satisfied with his showing.
"I was happy with my own performance, I think I can do better, but on the whole I am happy with the way it went," he said.
"It is hard to come in straight away at this level. It is a big difference to play against San Jose (in a mid-week friendly) and then against Chelsea, it is a big leap. But it is okay for me.
"I think it went well and only the result was not so good. Chelsea were very good and it was very hard to play this game.
"We were disappointed to lose 4-1 in the end, because we played not too bad, but I think the score was a bit too high. The score line flattered them.
"We spoke at half time and we said there is nothing in it. We played like it was 0-0 or 1-1, we played as well as them. But then we let in three goals and at 4-1 we are now second best.
