Sunday 22 November 2015 09:13, UK
James Tomkins believes West Ham can still keep up their scoring form without Dimitri Payet against Tottenham on Super Sunday.
Payet has made an instant impact since moving to the Premier League, scoring five times so far, but is ruled out for the trip to White Hart Lane after picking up an ankle injury against Everton on November 7 that will keep him out for three months, while Enner Valencia is also out.
West Ham have scored 23 times in 12 Premier League games this term, only failing to score in one match, and Hammers defender Tomkins believes the squad is strong enough to cope without two of their key players, citing Manuel Lanzini as another key contributor this season.
"It's unfortunate Enner and Dimi have got injured because they're two important players for us - they're game changers," he told Sky Sports.
"Manu has done brilliantly for us already this year, and he looks a real spark on the pitch. He can change the game in a minute - you saw what he did against Everton, and that's what he does every day in training.
"There's people like him, Mauro [Zarate], and Andy [Carroll] who offers a completely different threat.
"I still think there are goals in abundance, but it's a massive loss."
West Ham go into Sunday's clash level on points with Tottenham, only behind Mauricio Pochettino's men on goal difference.
After their victory at Arsenal on the opening day, the Hammers have gone on to win at Liverpool and Manchester City, and Tomkins is aiming for another big win away to one of the league's big sides.
"That first win gave us the confidence to go and beat the likes of Liverpool and City. I think it set the stall out, and the big teams are starting to fear us.
"We're still getting confidence from that. We know we've beaten teams of that stature, so on our day I think we can beat anyone in the league. It's just a matter of consistency, really.
"When we get the fixtures at the start of the year, I'd be lying if I said it's (Tottenham) not the first one you look for. They're big games, and massive for the fans.
"With the away wins we've had so far, to top it off with a win against Spurs, it wouldn't get much better than that.
"Everyone knows, on our day, we can do it, but it's just a matter of putting it into practice and doing it on the day.
"City was a massive one after the two we'd had before, but I think from the fans' point of view it would be the best one yet."
See the full interview with James Tomkins on Soccer Saturday, live from 12pm on Sky Sports News HQ
