West Ham will face a struggling Sheffield United squad this weekend who will be playing with a lot of urgency and fight.
Being stuck in the relegation zone is never fun for any club, and as West Ham supporters have seen over the past couple of seasons, it can be very nerve-racking. In order for West Ham to be successful against the struggling Blades, they must be able to match their intensity.
The Blades, who currently sit dead last in the Premier League table with one point through eight matches played, have struggled immensely this season. The Blades have only scored four goals whilst conceding fourteen, and have a negative ten goal differential.
Although the statistics may suggest an easy win for the Hammers, that is usually never the case in the Premier League. Chris Wilder is a fantastic football manager and will have Sheffield United up for this game, especially as the Blades are at their home ground for the match.
David Moyes will have a responsibility to make sure that this West Ham squad does not take Sheffield lightly. If you were to look at this match on paper, it would be very evident that the Hammers have the upper-hand in every category, but they do not play the games on paper.
Based off of what we have seen so far this season from both squads, I would expect the Irons to have a fair share of the ball during this match. That could bode well for West Ham striker Sebastien Haller, who will look to finally get to scoring goals this season in the Premier League.
The Hammers must also make sure that they are sound in defending set-piece opportunities. When a team is struggling to consistently score goals, set-piece chances are the best way to get yourself into a game. West Ham must be solid from a defensive standpoint.
This is a crucial match for both teams at this point in the Premier League season. Sheffield United is looking for their first win of the year, while the Hammers will look to keep up their great form and start to push towards the top half of the table. Come on you Irons!