John Motson raved about West Ham attacking trio Andriy Yarmolenko, Felipe Anderson and Sebastien Haller ahead of the Hammers facing Crystal Palace on Saturday.
The legendary commentator while looking ahead to West Ham taking on Roy Hodgson’s side, claimed that Yarmolenko, Anderson and Haller were going to bring some joy to West Ham.
Motson also added that he was particularly pleased about Yarmolenko doing well considering the winger had an injury-hit debut campaign at the London Stadium last season.
“Hammers in the top-six? Can they stay there?” said Motson on talkSPORT (14:42, Friday, October 4th).
“I’m pleased about Yarmolenko, cause he had that whole season out with injury after they paid quite a big bit of money for, not quite as much as they did for Felipe Anderson, but in that bracket.
“I think those two… (what about Haller is heard in the background) I like…well okay those three are going to bring some joy to West Ham.”
OPINION
When you consider that Motson pondered if the Hammers could finish in the top-six then ended up claiming the club’s attacking trio could bring joy to the club, it could be his way of implying that West Ham could secure a very good Premier League finish this season. After all while watching Yarmolenko, Haller and Anderson play beautiful football is joyous for fans, the only way they will actively bring joy to the club is if their efforts lead to a top-six finish. The Hammers currently sit fifth in the Premier League and all the signs so far suggest they could end up in that position come the end of the season. Aside from their opening day 5-0 loss to Manchester City, the Hammers have looked a more solid unit and have proven difficult for other sides to break down. West Ham have only conceded nine goals in seven games and if Manuel Pellegrini’s side can continue being defensively solid then success will surely beckon. The only issue Pellegrini has when it comes to stopping his side shipping goals is his goalkeeper issue. First-choice shot-stopper Lukasz Fabianski is set for a spell on the sidelines and it’s hard to know if the not Premier League-proven Roberto Jiminez is capable of covering his absence.
