West Ham will now head into the third international break of the season on the back of two consecutive wins, and there are some huge positives for us to look at during the two-week Premier league hiatus.
David Moyes was under real pressure heading into the final two games before West Ham United’s third break of the campaign so far, and there were rumours floating around that he was dangerously close to losing his job.
This time last week, the Hammers had taken just four points from our previous seven Premier League games, and lost to Olympiacos two weeks ago in the Europa League.
However, back-to-back wins in both competitions have completely changed the majority of fans’ perspective.
We can now all look forward to December and the new year full of a renewed sense of confidence and excitement…
Five positives for West Ham fans
In my opinion, things are looking really bright now for the Hammers. As long as everyone pulls in the same direction, the 2023/24 season could still be a really prosperous one for us…
Michail Antonio knows his place now
The 33-year-old has been absolutely woeful for the Hammers this season, with just two goals to his name so far. He has been garnering more attention from his ridiculous comments on his podcast than he has for his performances on the pitch – something that talkSPORT pundit Gabby Agbonlahor absolutely battered him for last week. Moyes seems to have realised now that Michail Antonio is not his main striker anymore, and that’s great news as far as I’m concerned.
Relegation not remotely on the agenda
We all know just how stressful it was last term with relegation a very real prospect throughout the entire campaign up until the last couple of games of the season. We were never outside the bottom six or seven throughout the season and it was a constant battle. Fortunately though, that won’t be happening this season. There are three really poor teams in the division for a start in the form of Burnley, Sheffield United and Luton Town. And secondly, we already have 17 points on the board, meaning that we need only another 23 from 26 games to reach the magical 40 point mark.
James Ward-Prowse’s best role now obvious for everyone to see
Moyes went through a phase of playing James Ward-Prowse in the double pivot alongside Edson Alvarez for six weeks. It was a baffling change from the Scot, after the 29-year-old had performed so well in an advanced position as part of a 4-1-4-1 system during our first four Premier League games of the season. He looked like his old self yesterday, and aside from his two assists, he contributed so much to our play inside the final third. Moyes absolutely must not revert back to playing him in a deeper role anymore and after yesterday’s performance, he surely won’t even contemplate doing that.
Upcoming fixture list
After a tough first third of the season that saw us faces clashes with Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle at home and Liverpool, Brighton and Aston Villa away, the fixture list looks a bit kinder to us now. We face games against Burnley, Crystal Palace, Fulham and Wolves in our next five Premier League matches, with the only really tough looking match on paper coming with a trip to Tottenham on December 7th. Those four teams are currently sitting in 20th, 13th, 16th and 12th positions in the table respectively. It should represent West Ham with a real chance to build some momentum heading into December and then on into the new year.
Four of the most in-form players in the league
West Ham have four players who are currently an absolute joy to watch in the form of Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, Mohammed Kudus and the aforementioned Ward-Prowse. If Moyes gets his tacticS, formation and system 100% spot on, and those four players maintain their fine form, there is no reason why we can’t push for a top seven finish in the Premier League table this season. Bowen, 26, has nine goals and three assists to his name in 16 games in all competitions this season (Transfermarkt), whilst Ward-Prowse, 29, has two goals and 10 assists in 17 games all found (Transfermarkt). Meanwhile, Paqueta continues to dictate proceedings with his immense skill, ability on the ball and composure in possession. The Brazilian is an elite player, and we’re incredibly lucky to have him at the club. Finally, Kudus is starting to look like the real deal now, and the only thing that Moyes has to address regarding the Ghanaian ace is figuring out what his best position actually is!
West Ham fans’ perspective changes after two wins
The only way is up now for the Hammers. David Moyes has a great squad of players available to him, and he also has the blueprint for success after some fine individual performances against Forest yesterday.
Sure, we ground out a result against Olympiacos, but that win leaves us in total control of Europa League Group A. Four points from our final two games against Backa Topola and Freiburg respectively will see us qualify as group winners.
After a really trying couple of months, there are some huge positives for the West Ham fans to take into the next batch of Premier League fixtures.
Whether you’re ‘Moyes in’ or ‘Moyes out’, what cannot be denied is that we’re in a far better place now as a club than when the Scot took over at the London Stadium for the second time in December 2019.
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