Valon Behrami admits West Ham United have been playing "scared".

The Hammers saw a mini revival shot down by Newcastle United last weekend.

Behrami said: "Of course, a good cup run helps because this type of game gives you a positive feeling in your head. It [the problem] is not physical - like against Newcastle, it is just in our head. In the last year, we had a lot of problems. We are sometimes a little bit scared and then sometimes it happens like it did against Newcastle in the second-half. We weren't there.

"It is a shame because when the team starts to play, they play very well. Sometimes, we are not doing our job for just five minutes, when we are not concentrating, and we lose everything in 45 minutes.

"If you look at the table, it is all negative things. You do not feel well. But in a cup game, it can give you positivity to push forward and give more. We don't have to look at the table and then you can go and play. It makes us feel good to have targets [in the cup] because last season, we didn't have that target in the battle against relegation. It is not easy when you start the season like this and we have to challenge in every situation."