West Ham boss David Moyes concedes they've hit a form slump.
The Hammers are next in action on Boxing Day against Southampton.
Moyes said, "We've had a little dip recently but we're working to get back to our high standards.
"We had a fantastic start to the season which got us into fourth and now fifth. We have been so good that it would be difficult to absolutely maintain that all the way. Some teams started the season poorly and have picked up a bit now, while others really started well and maybe are having a little bit of a wobble, but playing this amount of games and asking the players to keep the levels up in every game can be difficult.
"We're a team growing and trying to build – we've probably had 18 months where we've been building upwards and it wouldn't be unusual to have a little up-and-down period.
"Players throughout the season will have periods when they're on top form and full of confidence, and there will be periods when maybe they're not quite as good as that. You have to try and manage them and help them through it.
"We're no different from anyone else, but for us to keep consistent is really important. We need to hang in as long as we can – it's great that I'm not talking about staying out of the bottom three, because that was the talk at West Ham for a long time, but we've changed it really quickly and we're enjoying the thought of being up around the top clubs."
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