On Sunday, West Ham completed a fantastic 2-0 win over a weak Manchester United side with two great goals from Aaron Cresswell and Andriy Yarmolenko to seal the victory in fine style. This has forced fans and pundits to question whether West Ham can finish in a much desired European spot.
Good Start
The Hammers have got off to a flying start with luxurious victories over United, Norwich, and Watford as well as two hard-fought draws on the road against Aston Villa and Brighton. Their only loss has been against an enthralling Manchester City side who are on 11 points from 6 games and in 5th place.
This is certainly a sign of improvement for the Irons as last season the club was in 17th place on just 4 points. An underline positive to take from this is that the Hammers then went on to compete for 7th place and were only a few points off, in the end, suggesting that this season, due to the good start, they are a lot more likely to achieve Top 7.
Bad Season for Others?
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Man United and Arsenal have certainly looked below par this season and this could continue. Arsenal are weak at the back and the injury to Alexandre Lacazette is a blow, whilst Man United are missing attacking personnel and are very porous in midfield as we found out on Sunday.
West Ham should see this as an opportunity to leapfrog these teams, replacing them in the top 6. It is very much a period of transition for Frank Lampard and Chelsea. The Blues are very reliant on Kante and are certainly looking to promote youth this season; West Ham should be looking to take points off Chelsea or even finish above them.
There are also a few reasons why Manuel Pellegrini’s team may find it hard to achieve Europe this season.
Inconsistency
Through the years we have often seen West Ham beat the likes of Arsenal and go on to lose to the likes of Cardiff the next week and it’s this inconsistency that has meant that West Ham have missed out on Europe or underachieved generally.
If West Ham want to finish in one of the European spots this season then they have to start consistently beating bottom half teams while still playing well and getting results against top-half teams, the Hammers can show consistency by beating Bournemouth on Saturday.
Injuries
West Ham showed that they could cope without one of their key players on Sunday. Lanzini was out with a bruised foot and Pablo Fornals stepped in and played quite well although he is still adjusting to the pace and physicality of the English game. However, there have been many occasions when West Ham have been missing star players due to injury, just look at Yarmolenko last season.
If the Hammers want to secure Europe then Pellegrini will be praying that the likes of Felipe Anderson, Sebastien Haller, Declan Rice and Issa Diop maintain their fitness. Otherwise, he’ll have to play fringe players such as Albian Ajeti (in the case of a Haller injury), who is obviously nowhere near the same level and this would take a toll on the team and results.
Verdict
West Ham clearly have the quality to finish in the top 7 and there is no reason why they shouldn’t if they continue this splendid form.
I predict that they will finish 7th and show the rest of the Premier League just how talented their squad is. Hopefully, they can find some consistency and steer clear of injuries on the way. Many have argued that Europe is crucial in order to keep Declan Rice and Issa Diop next summer, therefore, Pellegrini should see it as a priority achievement.
With Bournemouth and then Crystal Palace before the international break, the Hammers could certainly be looking at the top 4 by mid-October, it’s certainly exciting times.