Sky Sports pundit Paul Merson has predicted that West Ham will earn a 1-1 draw with Manchester United in the Premier League this weekend.
The Hammers are enjoying an upturn in form under Manuel Pellegrini after a win against Everton was followed by a draw with Chelsea at the weekend, while they thrashed Macclesfield in the Carabao Cup in midweek.
Merson has now predicted that the Irons will capitalise on a poor run for the Red Devils by securing a point at the London Stadium on Saturday.
In his column for Sky Sports, he said: “Man Utd are all over the place. Last week, they drew with Wolves at home and now they’re out of the cup, and West Ham have turned a corner.
“It’s not working between Paul Pogba and Jose Mourinho, they don’t look happy. I’ve seen the video of Pogba coming onto the training pitch and Mourinho says something to him, so it isn’t good at all. With the results as well, it just gets blown up even more.
“If they had won their last two games, it wouldn’t be a problem, but they’re out of the title race and out of one of the cups already which they had a chance of winning. For me, it’s worrying times at Man Utd now.”
OPINION
This is an interesting prediction from Merson, who seems very concerned about the goings-on at Old Trafford at the moment. The Red Devils are admittedly going through a very rough patch, and West Ham may not have a better chance of beating them for a long, long while. Jose Mourinho looks rattled, and his relationship with Paul Pogba is undergoing some very public scrutiny. In all honesty it looks like the hallmarks of the beginning of the end for Mourinho, who always seems to lose the dressing room before he leaves clubs. However, the Hammers must also be wary that United may bounce back from their disappointing run with a big performance, something which Mourinho teams manage to do on a regular basis. West Ham must try instead to focus on themselves and their own performance, with their form in recent weeks proving that they are good enough to challenge some of the best in the division.
