Green Street Hammers
Fansided

The Door To Premier League Safety has Opened, Will West Ham Walk Through It?

By Jeff Catlin

LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 23: Ryan Fredericks of West Ham United and Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United looks dejected following their side's defeat in the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 23, 2020 in London, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JUNE 23: Ryan Fredericks of West Ham United and Jarrod Bowen of West Ham United looks dejected following their side's defeat in the Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on June 23, 2020 in London, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit

While most clubs have played two matches since the return of the Premier League and some have played three, the results have mostly all fallen West Ham’s way.

Those results and the Irons’ upcoming schedule (after Chelsea) present the opportunity David Moyes and his West Ham side need to avoid relegation. Even though the Hammers have not passed the eye test or earned a single point in either of their two matches since the re-start, the four clubs around them also battling to avoid the drop haven’t fared much better.

Norwich sitting on 21 points is going down.  That leaves Aston Villa (27 -24GD); Bournemouth (27 -21GD); West Ham United (27 -19GD) and Watford (28 -20 GD) all fighting for two safe places.  Consider for now, that Brighton is safe on 33 points and 6 points clear of 18th in the table.  Villa and Watford have already played match week 32. Bournemouth, West Ham (and Norwich) have not.

The game in hand for WHU comes this Wednesday vs Chelsea, another difficult match in the run of three fixtures post-break that looked very tough on paper. The Irons with a total of four shots on goal and no goals in the prior two games have done nothing to show that they can even nick a point in this one.

More from Green Street Hammers - West Ham

However, if they do happen to catch Chelsea not up for it after their big win over Manchester City last week, a point here would obviously be huge. Villa have managed to earn two points off draws in the last week; Watford one. West Ham needs to do the same and fast.

The other team around West Ham-Bournemouth, have dropped all 6 available points just like the Hammers… so far.

One win could completely change the fortunes of the club around—see Brighton coming out of the gate with a big win over Arsenal vaulting them up a few rungs on the ladder.

Looking beyond this mid-week game for West Ham, and for the other three clubs fighting for their EPL lives, West Ham has the easiest final six games. They will have just one match left vs a “top tier’ club (Man Utd.) and three against the sides all around them.

They control their fate with games against Norwich, Watford, and Villa—but they’ve got to show something in those they have yet to show: score goals, and get results. They also face Newcastle and Burnley—teams safely mid-table but let’s not confuse either with a top 6 club.  The Hammers have an opportunity to get points there too.

Meanwhile, Brighton has to take on Man U, Liverpool, and City among their last seven and also face suddenly in form Southampton, Newcastle, and Burnley.

Villa is also in a tough spot with matches upcoming against Liverpool, Man U, and Arsenal, Everton and Crystal Palace before the finale against the Irons.

Watford is in a similar place as the Hammers, with only Chelsea and City left to face among the top clubs. They can control their destiny with matches against Norwich and West Ham.

Bournemouth perhaps has the toughest fixtures of the four-Man U; Spurs; Leicester and City. Alongside Southampton and Everton. That’s a tough run and plays right into the Irons’ hands.

So the door is open for safety, but can West Ham United walk through it?  They have to start playing better and with more energy and urgency first. Then they have to score and finally, they have to find a way to get results and wins.  David Moyes has come under fire in the first two games and rightfully so.  He has a lot of options along the front line and midfield but he has yet to unlock the starting line up or use the subs that can and will make a difference in the results.

Next. How West Ham “SHOULD” Line up against Chelsea. dark

He’s done this before for West Ham, he needs to do it again.  The Players have to show up too.  You can count on just one hand the number of players that have that made an impact and performed well in the restart.  If they can start clicking quickly the final match of the season vs Aston Villa won’t matter. The Hammers will have walked through this door of opportunity already and slammed it shut on Norwich, Villa, and Bournemouth.