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West Ham:Next Three Matches

By Barrett Rouen

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 27: Mark Noble of West Ham United (C) and Paul Pogba of Manchester United (R) battle for possession during the Premier League match between Manchester United and West Ham United at Old Trafford on November 27, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 27: Mark Noble of West Ham United (C) and Paul Pogba of Manchester United (R) battle for possession during the Premier League match between Manchester United and West Ham United at Old Trafford on November 27, 2016 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Alex Livesey/Getty Images) /
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The draw with United was important. Thinking it anything less than that would be foolish. The way that this season has gone West Ham getting points (or a point) against any side in the top 10 should be celebrated as a victory.

That said, eyes forward, and onto the next match. The league is too quick moving to celebrate any victory too long.   West Ham need to look at the next three matches and make something happen of them. Unfortunately the early season form was simply so bad that West Ham will need to play well against superior opposition. They wasted too many of their bunny games and will need to grind out results against some of the big men. Hopefully West Ham can get some momentum going and bring it into the next three matches. Those matches are:

Manchester United – EFL Cup (Away)

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West Ham have to take the cup seriously. With so little to play for any chance at silverware is important. It helps unite the squad and giving the players an early taste of success is always a good thing for morale. The hard thing here is that it is a return game against United. Every single member of the United dressing room should have been furious following the West Ham game. If they weren’t then they weren’t trying hard enough.

Every single thing that West Ham did to draw that match they will need to do twice over in this one. The defense will need to be sturdy and the work rate in midfield can be nothing less than spectacular. Hopefully West Ham can pull a draw out of this one as well. Then things would really be on the up and up. Getting results away at Old Trafford twice will be difficult but it is only by accomplishing the difficult things in life that anybody can make any progress.

Arsenal – Premier League (Home)

The next match has fellow London club Arsenal visiting the London Stadium. West Ham have not taken to the London Stadium too well at this point. Eventually though I imagine the fans will begin to take a liking to the new stadium and the life it should provide for their club. Arsenal will not be an easy ask. They are worried about losing ground in the title race and will want to be getting their season back on track. Quite frankly the quality in Arsenal’s squad is too high to be ignored.

If the Hammers let Ozil, Sanchez and Cazorla have their way then this match will be over before the second half. If possible West Ham need to try and play a hardworking and compact match against Arsenal. They should let Andy Carroll bully his way around and play to Arsenal’s weakness. They should play physical tough football and force a result to happen. If one member of the elite clubs were to fall it would be Arsenal. West Ham should force that to happen at the London Stadium come December third. Three points is a possibility.

Liverpool Premier League Away

Liverpool have been dynamite this season. Jurgen Klopp and his heavy metal football are creating waves across the game. It will be tough for the Hammers to get a result especially in an away match like this. If possible they need to play the same way they should against Arsenal. At this point pragmatism needs to take a front seat over romance.

Next: Hammertime: West Ham Earn Hardfought Draw

Winning football matches and points needs to come first. The couch critics brigade needs to come second. West Ham will benefit from what looked like a relatively nasty ankle injury to Philipe Coutinho and Liverpool will suffer greatly from the lack of their creative genius. If all goes well West Ham should be able to force the draw here and leave with at least one point.