So with the week of three away games behind us we can look back on a week of mixed results. The loss to Wolves was a bad day at the office, we really were never in the game for a second. The result in Vienna has secured us the top spot in the group and the reserve team managed the game very well, leaving us with a free hit against Dinamo Zagreb next Thursday. Yesterday’s loss to Man City was expected but we put in a good performance against one of the best teams in Europe and the first half especially had a lot of positives.
After three away games in a week we now move on to three home games in a row and, like the previous week, each one will be a unique challenge and will allow us to prove different things if we manage to pick up wins in all three.
Firstly, this Wednesday we take on Brighton at home. We haven’t beaten Brighton in a decade and the last time we managed to do so was in the Championship. Football seems to be a superstitious game so you know full well that Moyes and the team will be desperate to finally put our bogey team to bed. Brighton haven’t won in nine premier league games and were booed off the pitch by their own fans on Saturday. We ourselves have suffered back-to-back Premier League defeats for only the second time since the start of last season, so we need to prove that we are very much still on form and that this blip has been just that. Form, statistics, home advantage and the league table all lean towards a West Ham win but we’ve had a habit in the past of being complacent in these situations, so a win here can prove that we really are on to good things.
Speaking of good things, European Champions Chelsea follow the Brighton game on Saturday and they currently sit top of the league, seven points above ourselves following the results on Sunday. Having beaten fellow top four residents Liverpool at the London Stadium in early November, this match can be the catalyst for us laying down a marker to stay there all season. A result against Chelsea really will prove we can go toe-to-toe with the big guns in the Premier League. Everyone expects Chelsea, Liverpool and Man City to occupy the top three so a win here and we have every chance to say to other teams ‘you’re going to have to come to East London and beat us if you want to take 4th place this season’.
After Chelsea we have our free hit against Dinamo Zagreb. As previously stated, we’ve already secured top place in the group so this game stands out as another chance for the reserve players to show they want more than to be just backups. Vlasic got an assist against Rapid Vienna and looks to be slowly catching up to the way we play. Yarmolenko always looks better in these games and it’s important for the likes of Areola, Coufal, Diop and Kral to put the pressure on Fabianski, Dawson, Johnson and Soucek respectively. Sonny Perkins made his debut against Vienna so it would be nice for him and also one or two others to get a run out and, alongside Noble, we can have a decent academy presence on the pitch.
Three home games in a little over a week which are all winnable but all pose a different challenge to David Moyes. How he handles this period will go a long way to setting us up for the rest of the season. Two good results in the Premier League can really tighten up our hold on the top four, as it would be nice to have more than just goal difference between us and Arsenal when we play them in two weeks time. A win against Zagreb would not only be a nice confidence booster for the reserves but also leave us unbeaten going into the knockout stages of the Europa League. I have huge faith in this team but no matter what we have to enjoy it.
All My Worst Work 