West Ham put in a great display against United, and should have walked away with at least a draw. But where was that display against Chelsea? Why are we so inconsistent?
I know that some teams struggle with mentality, and increasingly you have to think that is West Ham’s issue. We’ve put in solid performances against top teams throughout the year, but our inability to turn it on when it’s against sides around us in the league, or below us, is crippling our development.
Awful performances against Cardiff and Everton turned the end of the season from a chase for 7th into a dull plod home. If we don’t turn in the performances we did against United for the rest of the season we’re going to end up sliding behind the likes of Bournemouth and Palace as well, which would be awfully disappointing. So why do we leave these performances for a time when they’re least likely to yield results?
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Well quite simply the club, and seemingly now the players, seem uncomfortable being in any position except for underdog. I hoped that the hiring of Pellegrini would begin to change that, but as the season has drawn on, and the players have come closer and closer to physically being on the beach, they are mentally there already. Unless the game pushes them into action.
Against United the side were composed on the ball, willing to chase everything down and putting pressure on the opposition left right and centre. Anderson looked alive to every loose ball and with Chicharito up top we looked like we had a lot of ideas going forward. Compare that to the Chelsea game and you have a very stark contrast.
In a couple of weeks we have Spurs, so I hope we’re going to be able to push ourselves for that without issue. But what about this weekend against Leicester? Will we see the same side that pushed a Champions League side all the way roll over? I fear we will. But here’s hoping that we can beat a side just above us in the league at home!