How West Ham can build on two strong performances

After a sluggish start to the season that saw West Ham pick up zero points in their first four matches, there has been a turn in form for the Irons. With points now banked in consecutive matches, the Hammers need to continue their momentum, not revel in current success.

The term momentum is used quite frequently in sport and its value is widely accepted as the positive force of results in recent form. For West Ham, the Everton match kick-started their momentum swing and a nil-nil draw to Chelsea has continued it forward. So, now what?

Well, the armchair generals will tell you simply that West Ham must take the momentum they’ve created and snowball it further with solid performances like they did with the Chelsea match. However, this ignores why the momentum was generated and skips over how the team can actually build upon it.

So then, how did West Ham start their momentum in the Everton match? Two main reasons: a kick in the ass by the team captain, and a change to the formation to mix things up.

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Pellegrini resorted to a more simplified formation that saw his players in their best role. The 4-3-3 he executed at Everton played Yarmolenko and Anderson out wide as wingers, overlapping in the box for added pressure. This position suits both their playing styles for different reasons; Anderson likes to pass the ball up and dribble his way into dangerous areas, while Yarmolenko prefers the perimeter to select a shot or cross.

This moved Arnautovic deeper into a center forward role, allowing him to help build up play in the midfield before getting into the finishing areas near goal. Despite his clinical finishing, Arnautovic performs well when he has a hand in the build-up play as he can outlet the ball as good as anyone on the team.

The team, new formation and all, still needed the kick in the ass that Mark Noble gave them after the disappointing home loss to Wolves. Say what you will about his fitness levels, but Noble is the heartbeat of the club and has the experience and respected authority to go at his players and dig them out for unacceptable performances.

It was clear that the time for excuses was gone after the Wolves lost. No more wading into Premier League football, players need to gel, new manager and new system excuses, Noble understood the team needed results and has motivated them to success.

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Of course, West Ham followed up their 3-1 drubbing of the Toffees with a well-earned point at home against a strong Chelsea side. Possession went to the Blues, but West Ham made life hard for Hazard, Willian, Giroud, and Morata all match long and kept their shape under pressure.

Answering how West Ham can keep this momentum growing in their next matches is a lot more simple than you might believe.

As match-week six ends, West Ham are in 17th place, sitting just above the relegation zone. And while four points in two matches is great, the larger picture is that West Ham have four points in six matches, which isn’t so great. Momentum for West Ham can continue to grow simply by the team being motivated by how good they should be.

Anderson needs to prove to himself and the West Ham supporters that he can play in the Premier League, Yarmolenko needs to redeem himself for his miss against Chelsea, Rice wants to prove he’s worth thousands of pounds more to the team, and Noble wants to show he’s still got some performances left in him.

Compounding personal motivation with team motivation may be the key to maintaining and growing West Ham’s moment. The need for set goals is imperative and while it may be too unorthodox for someone like Pellegrini to employ, a points total per month of games may be something to look into for team motivation.

West Ham will need to use the match against Macclesfield Town to springboard into the home match against Manchester United this week. Plenty of squad players will be chomping at the bit to get into a game and show they can dominate. Declan Rice took his opportunity against AFC Wimbledon and ran with it earning first team minutes in the matches to follow.

While the vacancy in positions may not be there against Manchester United, inter-squad competition is a solid motivator for first team players. The constant reminder that someone is chasing them down for their job raises the stakes on a game-by-game basis.

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For West Ham momentum is wrapped up with motivation. If the team can straighten out their goals and look for ways to achieve them through each match then there will likely be a growth or stay in the level of momentum they carry forward. It’s just like the West Ham Way of old, if you work hard, give it your all, and don’t cheat the team or supporters of effort there is nothing to be ashamed of from your performance.