Mark Lawrenson has predicted that West Ham United’s run without a win will continue when they travel to Chelsea on Saturday afternoon.
The BBC pundit admitted that he is worried about the Hammers, claiming that this season should have been the one where their players performed more consistently.
Lawrenson believes Manuel Pellegrini is under real pressure at the London Stadium and that there is a real chance his side could slip into the relegation zone, backing Chelsea to edge a tight contest 2-1.
“West Ham are a worry,” he wrote in his BBC column.
“I thought this would be a season they would not be so inconsistent with better players in the squad.
“Obviously there have been injuries, but Hammers boss Manuel Pellegrini is under pressure and there is a real chance they could slip into the bottom three. Chelsea are in good form and I can see them just winning this.”
West Ham haven’t won a game at Stamford Bridge since 2002, and Lawrenson’s prediction would see that run enter its 18th year should they lose once again.
OPINION
Everyone involved with West Ham right now will be questioning where it all went wrong this season. Lawrenson admitted he thought this year would be the one where the Hammers would be more consistent, and that is exactly what they were at the beginning of the campaign – sitting in third after their win against Manchester United in September. Everything was looking up, and there was a real belief that they could qualify for Europe at the end of the season. Pass forward to November, and they haven’t won a game since that win over the Red Devils, so there are no surprises that Pellegrini is coming under pressure. Chelsea have been exceptional under Frank Lampard, and there are no reasons as to why they can’t continue that against a West Ham side who are more than fragile right now, and without the suspended Issa Diop, their most influential defender over the past couple of years.
