West Ham’s second London derby of the season comes away at Tottenham Hotspur this Sunday, and whilst Spurs are in fine form, the Hammers have proved in recent weeks that they can pull off unexpected results.
The Irons’ last two matches have seen them brush aside Wolves and Leicester – two sides who are expected to be battling for European places come the end of the season – which has seen West Ham’s fans moods uplifted after a bleak transfer window.
Spurs are heading into this clash off the back of a 6-1 demolition of Man Utd, a second away win of the season after another heavy victory at Southampton.
With both teams firing on all cylinders and confidence flying high throughout both camps, a tight but exciting game is likely to be on show as each club attempt to claim London bragging rights.
Tottenham’s home form, however, may be a cause for concern for Jose Mourinho as they are yet to win at New White Hart Lane this season, with an opening day defeat to Everton followed by a controversial draw with Newcastle.
This, combined with the Hammers’ aforementioned latest win away at high-flying Leicester, will breed confidence in the team, perhaps with a repeat in mind of their win away at Spurs in 2019 – where they became the first-ever team to win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
In that game, West Ham kept a clean sheet, and they will be looking to replicate that as they are looking for three shut-outs in a row, a feat that would have been deemed near impossible after their failure to secure defensive targets in the transfer window.
Moyes’ five-at-the-back formation has worked wonders in terms of fixing their defensive fragility, though, as he has opted for quantity over quality in recent weeks.
The Hammers need to be respectful and cautious of a dangerous Spurs side, but if they encapsulate what they have done so tremendously in recent weeks into this game, they have the ability to flip that notion and make the hosts become just as wary of them.