Dinos Mavropanos believes West Ham United have built the resilience and belief needed to close out a challenging campaign on a positive note.
At the beginning of 2026, the Hammers were struggling for momentum, enduring a difficult stretch of ten Premier League matches without a victory.
However, the turning point arrived with a win over Queens Park Rangers in the third round of the FA Cup on 11 January.
Since then, West Ham have gradually rediscovered their rhythm.
A run of six wins, two draws and only two defeats across all competitions has revived confidence within the squad and tightened the battle near the bottom of the table.
That resurgence has also helped the London club close the gap on Nottingham Forest in 17th place from seven points to goal difference, while also setting up a fifth-round FA Cup clash against Brentford at the London Stadium.
For Mavropanos, the recent run of form reflects the team’s growing mental strength at a decisive stage of the season.
“There were moments that we couldn’t show what we wanted, but I think the last couple of weeks we had some good results, and we showed what we are capable of,” said Mavropanos.
“Now, what we have to do is just keep working and [continue to] do the best we can. We just have to keep doing the same thing, and hopefully we can be happy at the end of the season.
“The belief, first of all, has improved. We have a lot of quality as a team and individually, and we didn’t have the chance to show this on the level we wanted in games.
“But we’ve grown in belief, and that really gave us this feeling of what we can do and what we are capable of.”
He added: “There is always a pressure, and I know that this type of pressure is a bit different because we are in a battle of relegation at the moment, and it’s a really tough situation.
“But of course when you go on the pitch, you just want to enjoy football, especially when we are at home with our fans, and after that, just try to give the best for the team and get the best results we can get, as ultimately results will give us the points that we need to get out of this situation.
“I think these recent results will give us even more of a boost to the end of the season.
“The last couple of weeks have been really important to us because we got results, closed the gap, and are closer than we have been to the opponents that are above us.”
Mavropanos also highlighted the impact of defensive partner Axel Disasi, who joined the club on loan from Chelsea and has quickly strengthened the back line.
Together, the centre-back duo have helped West Ham record three clean sheets in five league matches since February, adding stability at a crucial time.
“It had been a difficult period for him, but since he arrived, I think he’s shown how good a player he is and what he can bring to the team,” the defender revealed.
“He has helped our work defensively and has shown how strong he is. We are just happy to have him here and to work with him as well, and you can see from the last games that he’s played that he’s got a lot of big things.”
Next up for the Hammers is a challenging test against a Brentford side guided by head coach Keith Andrews and spearheaded by prolific striker Igor Thiago.
Still, Mavropanos remains confident that the team’s recent defensive solidity and improved consistency can help them progress further in the FA Cup.
“I’m really happy [with my own performances] at the moment but, as always, I just try to improve, work hard and help the team. Especially in the last couple of weeks, the team has been building something,” the 28-year-old continued.
“You can see that we are more compact and are better both individually and together, and with the quality that we have, you can see how good we are. I’m just trying to keep going and keep giving the best.
“I think keeping a clean sheet makes us believe more in ourselves defensively, because obviously when you don’t concede a goal, you get some points.
“It’s important for us the defenders, especially, but for the whole team as well, and this is really important for the situation we are in right now.
“We need to keep the clean sheet at the back and get as many wins as we can, so we are really happy that in the last couple of games we’ve had the opportunity to keep a few clean sheets, and we just hope to keep doing that as many times as we can between now and the end of the season.”
With renewed belief and defensive discipline, West Ham will now look to carry their momentum into the crucial weeks ahead as they fight both for survival and cup success.
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