West Ham manager Slaven Bilic has acknowledged that the Hammers are now facing a relegation battle if they don’t arrest a slump in form which has seen them lose their last five Premier League games.
The 3-0 defeat to Arsenal yesterday has meant Bilic’s side are now just five points above the drop zone. West Ham now face a crunch match on Saturday against Swansea City who currently sit 18th, in the last relegation place. Bilic told the Evening Standard that the game against the Swans has now taken on new importance:
“I told the players don’t think about Sunderland, Everton, Stoke etc. Think only about Swansea. It’s only one game. After that we have one week to prepare for a game against Sunderland. We are in that fight now. We have to be realistic, it’s not being negative, it’s being realistic.”
The situation could have been even worse for the Hammers if Swansea had held out for a win against Tottenham last night. They would have been just two points behind West Ham and the Hammers just three off the relegation zone.
The game at the London stadium will certainly make for a nervous watch for West Hams fans but if they do come out with a victory in the proverbial six pointer, any fears will be eased to a great extent.
