West Ham have 14 video games remaining this season and European soccer is of their sights.
David Moyes would have liked an FA Cup run to take care of as properly however after defeat to Manchester United his focus is now solely on the Premier League.
With over a 3rd left of the season to play the Hammers’ supervisor is refusing to get forward of himself and discuss up their European credentials.
On quite a few events, Moyes has mentioned that he desires to take West Ham as excessive as potential however a problem for continental soccer subsequent season can be “a humongous step.”
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Within the aftermath of his aspect’s most up-to-date win, a 3-0 victory over Sheffield United, Moyes mentioned: “Pearcey [Stuart Pearce] talked about to me earlier than the sport that we’ve 5 video games earlier than the primary of April.
“Clearly, we’re nonetheless in February so on the finish of these 5 video games if we get into the final month or two of the season then it’d sizzling up however we won’t actually be speaking this fashion. It practically feels a bit uneasy.
“I do not wish to be damaging in any method however the groups round us are tremendous groups, so let’s be truthful we’re up in opposition to some prime prime expertise, prime groups and we’re going to must play extremely properly to be there.”
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Moyes is just not being damaging, he’s merely attempting to mood expectations forward of a very robust run of fixtures.
As Pearce mentioned over the subsequent six weeks West Ham have 5 video games. That leaves loads of time for relaxation, recuperation from any accidents, and work on the coaching floor forward of the run-in.
Seeing as ‘Psycho’ has flagged up the subsequent 5 fixtures it appears acceptable that we at soccer.london look into what awaits the Hammers within the coming weeks:
Declan Rice challenges Harry Kane
(Picture: Neil Corridor – Pool/Getty Pictures)
West Ham vs Tottenham Hotspur: Sunday, February 21, 12pm
First up is Tottenham, and there cannot have been many occasions in recent times when West Ham go right into a sport with their London rivals with such confidence and in many individuals’s eyes as favourites.
The Hammers have received eight of their earlier 11 matches in all competitions in comparison with Spurs’ 5 in the identical interval and Moyes’ males sit six factors forward of Sunday’s guests.
It’s practically 4 years since West Ham final received a house sport in opposition to Tottenham and with significantly longer to organize for the fixture, following Jose Mourinho’s aspect’s mid-week European commitments, every thing is working within the Hammers’ favour.
A Spurs win would see the north London membership pull to inside three factors of West Ham with a sport in hand, nevertheless, had been the house workforce to triumph there can be a nine-point hole between the 2 rivals. Moyes and his workforce have an enormous alternative on Sunday to completely cement their credentials as European contenders.
Manuel Lanzini celebrates scoring at Spurs
(Picture: MATT DUNHAM/POOL/AFP through Getty Pictures)
Final day out the 2 produced one of many video games of the season. Tottenham bumped into a cushty 3-0 lead after simply 16 minutes, just for West Ham to supply an unbelievable comeback culminating with Manuel Lanzini’s gorgeous 94th-minute equaliser. Comparable drama on Sunday can be most welcome.
Three factors for West Ham on the London Stadium will go an extended approach to making the followers imagine the Hammers can end above Tottenham for the primary time since 2008.
Nevertheless, any workforce with Harry Kane and Son Heung-min in can by no means be underestimated and can present Issa Diop and Craig Dawson their hardest problem of the season to date.
Prediction – West Ham 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
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Manchester Metropolis vs West Ham: Saturday, February 27, 12:30pm
Taking up Manchester Metropolis is kind of probably the hardest process in world soccer proper now.
The league leaders are on a run of 17 consecutive wins in all competitions. Metropolis are additionally the one workforce above West Ham within the 2021 kind desk, the Hammers have taken 21 factors to date this yr with Pep Guardiola’s workforce method out forward with 30 from 30.
Who higher than the second-best workforce this yr to take down the league leaders?
In all honesty, proper now a sport in opposition to Metropolis appears nearly unwinnable, it’s due to this fact nearly a free-hit. No person expects West Ham to come back away from the Etihad Stadium with something so Moyes has nothing to lose.
He’ll little question set his workforce up in a defensive method and attempt to stifle the multitude of abilities Guardiola has at his disposal and attempt to nick a aim from a counter-attack or a set-piece. It could work, it did for Tottenham earlier within the season in any case and in Jesse Lingard and Jarrod Bowen, Moyes has two males able to breaking at velocity.
Will probably be robust however not not possible, protecting the scoreline down and defending the aim distinction is likely to be simply as essential as something on this sport.
Prediction – Manchester Metropolis 2-0 West Ham
Declan Rice in motion in opposition to Manchester Metropolis (Photograph by Catherine Ivill/Getty Pictures)
West Ham vs Leeds United: Monday, March 8, 8pm
If the above predictions are right then a win at residence vs Leeds shall be a should to maintain the European problem on monitor.
Marcelo Bielsa’s males have performed some fantastically thrilling soccer this season, however have additionally left themselves susceptible on quite a few events and been penalised for it.
West Ham took all three factors when the groups met at Elland Street earlier this season with a efficiency extra dominant than the 2-1 scoreline suggests. Regardless of the Hammers solely having 36% possession, Moyes’ males managed 19 pictures in complete that day, seven greater than their common per sport this season.
The supervisor clearly is aware of how one can arrange a workforce to tackle a Bielsa aspect and can fancy his probabilities as soon as extra.
Prediction – West Ham 2-0 Leeds United
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Manchester United vs West Ham: Saturday, March 13, 3pm*
After Manchester United’s spectacular 4-0 victory in opposition to Moyes’ former membership Actual Sociedad in Europe this match is nearly actually going to be moved to happen simply three days after the Purple Devils Europa League last-16 tie.
Moyes will be capable of spend a full week getting ready his workforce for his or her second go to to Outdated Trafford this yr. The earlier encounter ended with an extra-time defeat within the FA Cup, however together with his workforce seeing quite a few modifications to it there are numerous positives Moyes can take from that sport.
Regardless of dropping three gamers to damage within the first hour and having to depend on unproven striker Mipo Odubeko within the absence of Michail Antonio and Andriy Yarmolenko, the Hammers had a last-minute likelihood to grab a win.
Some extent away at Outdated Trafford shall be a great end result however there isn’t any cause why West Ham cannot go two higher and take all three.
This isn’t the Manchester United of previous and with the title seemingly past them already and a top-four spot firmly of their grasp, Solskjaer will certainly identify a full-strength workforce in Europe.
It has been 14 years because the Hammers received away at Outdated Trafford, excessive time that file ended.
Prediction – Manchester United 1-2 West Ham
Lukasz Fabianski of West Ham saves a header from Victor Lindelof of Manchester United (Photograph by Michael Regan/Getty Pictures)
West Ham vs Arsenal: Sunday March 21, 3pm
The ultimate of the fixtures Pearce picked out is West Ham’s penultimate sport in opposition to the ‘Large Six’. The Hammers have a horrible file in opposition to Arsenal, with simply two wins up to now 20 matches.
Nevertheless, this isn’t the Arsenal of previous. Mikel Arteta’s workforce are a mid-table aspect lately and are there for the taking.
The earlier encounter between the 2 noticed the Gunners come out 2-1 winners, with the scoreline very a lot not telling the story of this sport. Antonio ran the Arsenal backline ragged that day and the Hammers had been a lot aggrieved at not being awarded a late penalty for a Gabriel handball.
The away aspect had double the variety of pictures and had been unlucky to lose, not to mention not even depart with a degree again in September.
Because the saying goes ‘revenge is a dish greatest served chilly’. Six months in soccer is a very long time and if the Hammers can get a win to cement themselves within the European battle, whereas ending Arsenal’s fading bid, Moyes and his males could have their revenge.
Prediction – West Ham 2-0 Arsenal
Out of the subsequent 15 factors obtainable, our predictions have West Ham selecting up ten, double what they managed from the reverse fixtures earlier this season. However as Moyes has mentioned it is a ‘New West Ham’.
*All fixtures topic to alter
