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Cape Town - Manuel Pellegrini admits he will need to address West Ham United's confidence issues over the international break as they aim to snap their poor form.
The Hammers were tipped to challenge at the top end of the table this term after the high profile arrivals of Sebastien Haller and Pablo Fornals during the summer window.
Pellegrini's men made a bright start to the campaign with 11 points from their first six games but since beating Manchester United in September they have added just two further points to their total and are now winless in seven across all competitions.
The Hammers went down 3-0 at Burnley over the weekend and there has been speculation over the manager's future, but it is understood the board are planning to stand by the Chilean for the time being at least.
Pellegrini says a dip in confidence is one of the root causes of their current slump and he hopes to address that before their next Premier League fixture, a home game against Tottenham on November 23.
"We need to work together more than ever," he told the club website. "We will have five or six players who will go to their national squads but this work is more than to recover individual performances. We will try to recover the trust as a team, and I am sure the results will come."
He added: "We need to keep a cool head and continue working the way we think we must do it better and after that we will see the results."
The Hammers go into the international break in 16th spot in the Premier League table and they are five points clear of the drop zone.
Despite their lowly position, West Ham are just four points adrift of Sheffield United in fifth and their pre-season dreams of European qualification are not necessarily over - but they need to rediscover their form quickly if they are to avoid being drawn into a relegation battle.
- TeamTalk Media
