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Chelsea win helps Pellegrini at West Ham, but doesn’t rescue him

By Scott Johnson

BURNLEY, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 09: Manuel Pellegrini, Manager of West Ham United looks on prior to the Premier League match between Burnley FC and West Ham United at Turf Moor on November 09, 2019 in Burnley, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)
BURNLEY, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 09: Manuel Pellegrini, Manager of West Ham United looks on prior to the Premier League match between Burnley FC and West Ham United at Turf Moor on November 09, 2019 in Burnley, United Kingdom. (Photo by Clive Brunskill/Getty Images) /
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West Ham will be happy with their win over Chelsea, and it gives manager Pellegrini a little lifeline. But these are not the matches our season will be defined on, and not the ones we should judge on.

West Ham’s win over Chelsea was one of a few ‘strange’ results this weekend in the Premier League. Pellegrini was under a lot of pressure and the win has alleviated some of it. But I would argue that because a loss shouldn’t have impacted his management chances, why should a win be a shining light? Our season doesn’t rest on matches against the top teams, it’s the mid-table and relegation candidates we need to beat. Does this win distract from the deficiencies?

If we had lost to Chelsea I don’t think Pellegrini would have been in a worse position. We have been poor recently and Chelsea strong, so a loss was par for the course. Our win over Chelsea showed what our side is capable of. Compact defence, direct attacking and a side willing to run. But it doesn’t take much management to get the side excited and up for a local clash against a big side. We need a manager with a plan for when the script doesn’t write itself.

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The Wolves match is going to be an interesting one, especially seeing as some players won’t be able to play all 180 minutes on such a quick turnaround. If Pellegrini can back it up with another good result, I think the whispers start to go away. If we revert back to previous form then it’s back to square one in my eyes. These are the matches that decide whether we have a good, middling or poor season. The matches against the big teams are almost bonus points.

But I don’t think I’m heartless in this position, because I understand that Wolves are a good side as well, and I am a big fan of Pellegrini. For me, and I suspect a lot of other fans, the big thing is the attitude we show in the match and the way we play. If we return to sluggish no direction football then the result is fairly immaterial. We can’t continue to play that way and expect to achieve anything moving forward. But gutsy play and running from the players will show the team still support the man in charge.

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The Chelsea match was a great show, and a performance that seasons can be built upon. But it is not a success in its own right. If Pellegrini is to be the Hammers manager at the end of the season he needs to replicate what we saw at Stamford Bridge, because now the fans have sensed a manager wavering in control…it’s going to be harder to convince them he’s the right man going forward.