Things are looking up for West Ham United after a morale-boosting 1-0 win over Fulham last weekend but David Moyes' side are still under real threat of relegation when you consider how tight the race for survival is in the Premier League.
A number of the Hammers' most consistent performers from previous campaigns have struggled to find their best form in an underwhelming season which can perhaps only be salvaged by winning the Europa Conference League.
Fortunately for the Scottish manager, it seems as if Vladimir Coufal is returning to his best form at a vital time, and the Czech Republic international could prove to be a huge player for West Ham in the remaining fixtures, both in the Premier League and in Europe.
Is Coufal getting back to his best at West Ham?
Coufal's first season at West Ham was an incredibly consistent one, as he contributed an impressive seven assists in 34 Premier League appearances, averaging a strong 6.95 rating from WhoScored for his performances.
The right-back, who earns around £35k-per-week, had joined in a deal worth just £5.4m from Slavia Prague and quickly won over fans with his work rate and passion on the pitch, while club legend Mark Noble would label him a "machine" when appearing as a guest on the Peter Crouch Podcast.
However, his form would falter last season, as he averaged a far-less-impressive 6.56 rating from WhoScored, with four assists to his name in 28 Premier League outings.
With Ben Johnson now a fully-fledged first-team player and Thilo Kehrer arriving from Paris Saint-Germain, Moyes has often alternated his right-backs this season and has seemingly been unable to decide on his first choice, with Coufal failing to notch a single goal or assist in the top-flight so far this campaign.
However, after returning from injury during the international break, the 30-year-old helped the Hammers to a clean sheet in the 1-0 win at Craven Cottage and was given the nod against Gent in midweek, which suggests that he has re-established himself as the main man at right-back.
The Athletic's Roshane Thomas was full of praise for the Czech defender on Twitter during the game, writing:
"Vladimir Coufal is slowly getting back to his best. At one point this season it was debatable who was West Ham's best right-back. But now without question, it's definitely Coufal."
With Johnson and Kehrer ranked as the 13th and 14th-best performers in Moyes' squad so far this season according to WhoScored, it seems neither of them can be relied upon to be a reliable option in West Ham's battle to stay up, so Coufal's upturn in form might just have come at the perfect time for the Hammers.