CAN THE HAMMERS HANDLE A FULL EUROPEAN CAMPAIGN?
Jim Kearns @TheHList
FOUR FOUR TWO - August 2021
In the past 10 campaigns, 31 English clubs have qualified for the Europa League via the league – and only 9 have improved their final position the following year. Of the non-Super League types, only Southampton and West Ham have managed it, the latter through cunningly getting knocked out before the kids were even back at school.
That West Ham likely won’t add to that number this year, however, says more about the impossibly successful nature of their 2020-21 season and less about how they’re likely to fare this time. The squad is surely too thin to cope with both European football and the annual Hammers injury crisis, but this was also true last term and they essentially ended up missing out on the Champions League because they couldn’t beat Newcastle. And they say football clubs have lost touch with their past.
With manager David Moyes fully rehabilitated and deservedly rewarded with a three-year contract, we will soon see if he has gained any political real estate internally. Chairman David Sullivan still likes to exert control over transfers, and has been so successful that he has only once purchased a player and sold him for a profit of greater than £10 million. Dimitri Payet was so impressed with the club’s direction of travel in January 2017 that he went on strike.
Moyes has managed to revitalise things, installing professionalism and playing his part in the best value top flight signing of the season – £5.4m full-back Vladimir Coufal – along with the ludicrously effective loan of Jesse Lingard from Manchester United. More astute signings will be needed for the Hammers to cope with their increased workload, while the club still recovers from the pandemic/wild extravagances of Manuel Pellegrini’s stint in charge.
Such squad management will undoubtedly be key to the forthcoming campaign, and Moyes’ battle for control with Sullivan will be his most vital victory of the season if he prevails.
The punishing Thursday-Sunday merry-go-round is designed to ensure that upstarts such as West Ham don’t go upsetting the established order and doing something silly like reaching the Champions League. Especially post-Super League.
However, a Europa League run would be a lovely, surprising consolation prize, and the Irons will gladly accept a lower-placed league finish in exchange for some Air Miles and famous foreign triumphs.
LAST SEASON:
- PREMIER LEAGUE 6th
- FA CUP Fifth Round
- LEAGUE CUP Fourth Round
- TOP SCORER (ALL COMPS): Michail Antonio, Tomas Soucek (10)
FIVE-POINT PLAN
1. ENJOY HOME COMFORTS
Despite playing in a desolate bowl built over an ancient burial ground, West Ham somehow managed to produce the second-best home record in the Premier League last term. They picked up a remarkable 34 points at the London Stadium in a year when away teams were triumphing at historic rates, and something similar would be a huge boost as fans trickle back.
2. WIN THE CROWD
Plenty have said that home record was driven by not having critical Irons fans in the ground. That’s mostly rubbish, but the Hammers faithful might get jittery if the counter-attacking style is employed in their own back yard, despite its success last season. A restless crowd could be a problem. Patience, please.
3. REPLACE LINGARD
After his arrival on loan from Manchester United, Lingard scored 9 goals and added 4 more assists (smashing his 5.1 xG and 1.5 xA projections). He got hot at the best possible time, and whoever comes in to replace him – ideally Jesse himself – can’t be expected to deliver like that. Some slack will need picking up.
4. SUPPORT ANTONIO
Historically, a new season suggests that West Ham are being linked to a new striker who will disappoint and leave for a loss soon enough. The only joy in recent years has come from Moyes converting wingers Marko Arnautovic and Michail Antonio to central positions. Micky produced one of highest xG ratings every 90 minutes (0.52) in the division last season. He needs some support, particularly given his scheduled mid-season hamstring hindrance.
5. TEST THE BIG BOYS
There remains a suspicion that Moyes is too cautious against the stronger sides, leading to just 1 point from a possible 24 against last term’s top four. This is overblown, but timid home performances against Liverpool and Manchester United were outliers in a campaign of bravura displays. The 18 points gleaned from Wolves, Leicester and Villa is a better reflection of how well this team can play.
KEY PLAYER: #41 Declan Rice ('99)
The glue that holds it all together. Forget the Rice you’ve seen playing with the handbrake on for England – the West Ham version is a swashbuckling force of nature, around whom others coalesce. His injury effectively ended last term’s Champions League dream.
FFT VERDICT: 11th
Backing up last season may be tough, but never doubt Moyes’ desire to confound the naysayers.
Premier League 2020/21
MINUTES
1. Tomas Soucek (3,420)
2. Aaron Cresswell (3,172)
3. Lukasz Fabianski (3,150)
4. Vladimir Coufal (3,055)
5. Declan Rice (2,880)
GOALS
1. Michail Antonio, Tomas Soucek (10)
3. Jesse Lingard (9)
4. Jarrod Bowen (8)
5. Pablo Fornals (5)
ASSISTS:
1. Aaron Cresswell (8)
2. Vladimir Coufal (7)
3. Said Benrahma (6)
4. Jarrod Bowen, Michail Antonio (5)
SET PIECES:
Scored: 16
Conceded: 7
HOME: 10-4-5
AWAY: 9-4-6
VIEW FROM THE STANDS
DANNY LEWIS @DannyLewis_95
Last season was brilliant to watch. It’s by far the best we’ve been at the London Stadium, in terms of both performances and the squad’s overall likeability.
This season will be different to last because we’re in the Europa League group stage! Not even Astra Giurgiu can stop us this time.
I’ve really missed the sarcastic comments from supporters in the stands. Hammers fans come up with some absolute gems.
Our most underrated player is Angelo Ogbonna. He doesn’t seem to get spoken about outside of West Ham as much as he should.
Look out for Mipo Odubeko. He ended last season with a flurry of U23 goals, won April’s PL2 Player of the Month award and has had some first-team FA Cup minutes.
The opposition player I secretly admire is Leeds’ Luke Ayling. His effectiveness and work-rate are terrific to watch.
The pantomime villain will be Callum Wilson. He loves scoring against us, so he’s the last person we want to see in our first game.
Other clubs’ fans don’t know that the ‘TIW’ inscription in our badge stands for Thames Ironworks, the Hammers’ original name.
Our key player will be Declan Rice, if he hasn’t been sold. Not only is he technically great, he also facilitates what a lot of his team-mates do.
The fans’ opinion of the gaffer is that he’s a fantastic manager and person. He’s proven anyone who doubted him (me included) wrong over his two spells.
We’ll finish in the top eight, if we achieve the squad depth needed.
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