West Ham defender Angelo Ogbonna believes the key to Dimitri Payet shining on the pitch for the Hammers is the form of Manuel Lanzini.
Slaven Bilic was forced to bring on both Payet and Lanzini at half time during the club's EFL Cup third-round tie at home to Accrington Stanley on Wednesday after West Ham failed to breach the visitors' defence in the first period.
The changes had an instant impact - with Lanzini and Payet combining a number of times to threaten a goal for the home side before the Frenchman eventually got the breakthrough through his last-gasp free kick that sent West Ham into the next round of the Cup with a 1-0 win.
Ogbonna believes that Lanzini - who recently returned to action following a knee injury - is the key to Payet performing well for the east Londoners as the defender conceded a change in attitude from the West Ham team may have contributed to the club's poor start to the season.
"Dimitri is different level. But the key is Lanzini. He can keep the ball. Dimitri needs someone like Lanzini because he doesn’t like to throw away the ball," Ogbonna said.
"He runs with the ball, he fights. He looks small but he’s not. He’s so tough. Both of them, they keep a good balance for us and they play very well together."
When asked about West Ham's record this term of just one win from five league matches, Ogbonna added: "Last season everyone wanted to show something because we had a new manager, new players. Everyone wanted to prove something.
"Maybe this year we were a little bit relaxed – and it is more competitive this season. Maybe when we are too confident you think it is going to be too easy.
"Sometimes we didn’t play like us. We played so sloppy, two or three mistakes. After this I hope there are no more mistakes. Maybe everything is going to be all right now."
