West Ham should be dreaming of Europe, here’s why

As West Ham’s season continues to progress, excitement amongst supporters is continuing to increase and rightly so.

Murmurs of a potential top four challenge has got fans dreaming but realists will be quick to state that this time last season the Hammers were in a very familiar position, flying high at the top of the table, playing excellent football.

Here are the points tallies after 10 games for both this season and the previous campaign:

As you can see, the Hammers are only three points better off at this stage than they were last season. Despite some of West Ham’s rather leaky displays in defence, Bilic’s side have conceded one goal less than Allardyce’s 2014/15 team and have scored three more.

Although there are similarities, there is further evidence to suggest that West Ham could keep this run going for longer than Allardyce managed. Firstly, it looks as if Bilic has set his team up to play a certain type of football and this will not change. Allardyce seemed to alter West Ham’s playing style after Christmas and injuries to the squad did not help either.

Now, the Hammers have a larger squad with players that are going to produce a certain standard of football that makes them capable of beating the top sides.

Interestingly, after 10 games in 2014/15, the Hammers had played three of the top six of the 2013/14 season, all at home (Tottenham, Manchester City and Liverpool). West Ham won two of those games and lost to Spurs on the opening day of the season.

This season, Bilic has played four of last season’s top six already (Chelsea, Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool) with three of those encounters taking place away from home. West Ham have won all four games and this is a telling stat for the top four hopefuls.

So, with a stronger squad, better performances and a manager still settling into the club, there is no reason as to why West Ham cannot improve from here. They have figured out a way of playing against the top sides so getting results against the beatable sides at home has to be the priority.

Yes, it is still early days but there is absolutely no reason why West Ham fans shouldn’t be dreaming big.

Can West Ham get into Europe this season? Comment below