With the poor start to their first-ever season under new manager Manuel Pellegrini, which included four straight Premier League defeats, now firmly in the rear-view mirror, fortunes are beginning to turn around at West Ham United.
The Hammers are now on a handsome unbeaten run, one which would have been simply unimaginable a month ago and today, we are going to take an in-depth look at that unbeaten run, analysing how long it will last for, by peeking ahead to the club’s next five fixtures, join us.
The Run
It would take an International break for the Irons to gather their thoughts, regroup and string some results together, following the aforementioned quartet of losses, but it wouldn’t come easy with some tough fixtures ahead.
First up in the four-game run without a loss, which has included three victories, was the impressive 1-3 win away at Everton, which was followed by a home draw with Chelsea, before back-to-back triumphs, first, the 8-0 thrashing of Macclesfield Town in the Carabao Cup and then, another 3-1 scalp, this one coming against the mite of Manchester United, last Saturday at London Stadium.
Brighton & Hove Albion (A)
Pellegrini’s men will aim to protect this eye-catching run, where the performances have been just as exciting as the results, in the final game before the next International break, the first of a run of five mixed-difficulty fixtures, this Friday night.
It comes in the form of a trip to the Amex Stadium to face off with Chris Hughton’s Brighton & Hove Albion, with the Seagulls below them in the PL table, the visitors will be feeling confident, though memories of a 3-1 loss there last season will play in the mind. Nevertheless, it’s a great opportunity for West Ham to go five on the spin, without losing.
Tottenham Hotspur (H)
Should they get a result down on the south coast, a game that won’t be such a fantastic chance to remain unbeaten post-August will be the visit of one of the “Big Six,” to London Stadium, fierce Cockney rivals Tottenham Hotspur.
Maurcio Pochettino’s men may have not enjoyed the greatest of starts to the season, but their quality still can’t be denied or underestimated, however, the hosts will take confidence from the four points they have taken from four matches against last season’s top six, so far this season. Can rivalry inspire them to go six matches unbeaten?
Leicester City (A)
Facing them seven days after that will be the second away trip of the month and another one that isn’t the hardest journey to make in the PL, in terms of the distance and the football involved, especially to a team in the midst of such a run of results, playing Pellegrini-brand football.
While the East Londoners haven’t enjoyed the best of away days at the King Power Stadium down the years, they did record a vital victory at the ground at the back end of last season, to secure Top-Flight safety under David Moyes, a solid 0-2 win. Dare we say Pellegrini’s boys will be licking their lips at this fixture, should things pan out the way we’ve suggested they will?
Tottenham Hotspur (H)
Up next is the second meeting with Spurs in the space of two weeks, although, the date for this Carabao Cup Fourth-Round (round-of-16) tie is yet to be confirmed, we do know that it will take place in the week following the Foxes clash.
The Hammers have knocked their North London rivals out of the League Cup in two of the last five seasons, including last campaign with a thrilling 2-3 victory at Wembley Stadium, and with spirit so high, will be keen to do this again, will Pellegrini guide his team to their third consecutive quarter-final of the competition he has won twice as a manager?
Burnley (H)
The fifth and final fixture in the Irons’ upcoming run of five matches in just over a month in all competitions will perhaps be the most winnable one on the list, a home clash with another team below them, in the form of Burnley.
The East London outfit have a strong record against their Claret & Blue comrades in recent times and the confidence that will be flowing through their veins by this stage, if they are still unbeaten, will be unimaginable, however, will it be enough to put negative memories of this fixture last season, out of the mind?
Conclusion
Should West Ham get results from these five upcoming matches, there is little to suggest that the unbeaten run must end there, because, barring Manchester City in late-November, they haven’t got to play one of the “Big Six” for the rest of the year.
However, in conclusion, it is very important that Pellegrini’s team remember their below-par start to the season, remember they are in the bottom half of the table, remember how quickly they could slip back into danger, and take one game at a time. But, it must be said, it could be a very exciting couple of months, indeed, in East London.
