This was one season defining moment, will there be more?
West Ham are currently sitting in 7th place in The Premier League table. We are a point off 5th, and Liverpool are 2 points behind us in 8th. It’s incredibly tight at the moment, and all it takes is a couple of slip ups and we could be looking at mid table mediocrity, despite a fantastic season so far.
These next 5 matches could be season definers:
Sunderland (H)
Spurs (H)
Everton (A)
Manchester Utd (A) FA Cup
Chelsea (A)
First up we have Big Sam’s return to The Boleyn Ground. Sunderland are getting results at the moment, and if there is one match that Allardyce will want to win all season, it’s this one. Sam Allardyce enjoyed a mixed spell here, with fans deciding that enough was enough after a few seasons. It has obviously worked out for us, Slaven Bilic has brought his brand of stylish football to match the substance, but Big Sam knows how to get results and this game shouldn’t be underestimated.
Will Bilic get the better of these two?
Another home match follows, welcoming Spurs who are on a bit of a winning streak. The last time we’ll face them at The Boleyn Ground, so fireworks are likely. Realistically, we can beat them and will need to if we want to keep pace with those around us, especially with three tough away matches following.
Everton and Chelsea away in the league are always tricky. If we got two points out of them games, it wouldn’t be hugely disappointing. But losing both could be disastrous in the hunt for Europe.
In the middle we have the big one at Old Trafford. We haven’t been gifted with an easy run in for the FA Cup, but the players have stepped up this season for the competition. Bilic’s influence has paid off, as he often speaks of his love for the competition.
If, in a months time, we are still in a similar league position (or higher?!), and still in the FA Cup, we would be well on track to have one of our best ever seasons in the top division.
Realistically, the Sunderland game is now massive. If we drop points, that means we have 3 league games where we desperately need points to stay where we are, and risk losing confidence ahead of Manchester United in the cup.
One thing we have on our side is the returns from injury of Manuel Lanzini, Andy Carroll, Winston Reid and Diafra Sakho. They should all feature against a few of these sides. With a full strength squad, we have to fancy our chances in the home games and at least one of the away matches.
March is the month of cup finals for West Ham. If we stand up to the challenge, it could be a historic final year at The Boleyn Ground after all.
