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It has been quite the turnaround at the London Stadium. Few Hammers fans could have anticipated being just two points behind last season’s Premier League champions Liverpool after 22 games of the 2020/21 campaign. Yet, with boss David Moyes masterminding a swift change in fortunes for West Ham United this term, that’s the situation that they find themselves in.
With 16 games remaining, United are just two points adrift of fourth-placed Liverpool and there are many pundits that believe West Ham are genuine challengers to secure a place in the UEFA Champions League in 2021/22.
Bringing Champions League football to the London Stadium has always been the long-term aim of the club’s co-owners, David Sullivan and David Gold, but supporters grew increasingly tired of their ownership last term, demanding their exit following the club’s 16th place finish in 2019/20.
As a matter of fact, the Hammers finished just five points clear of the relegation zone last season, with 39 points from their 38 games. Incredibly, they have racked up 38 points from just 22 fixtures this time around and, with no need to look over their shoulder for the rest of the season, Moyes’ men are likely to be dangerous opponents for anyone between now and May.
Ian Wright: United have a “good chance” of making the top four
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Former striker Ian Wright is one of football’s most outspoken pundits and even he is positive about West Ham’s chances of battling with the EPL elite to clinch a Champions League spot. Wright appeared on the sofa following United’s comfortable 3-1 away victory over Aston Villa on the Kelly and Wrighty Show, and insisted that the Hammers have every opportunity to upset the odds if they can maintain their current form.
Football expert Ryan Elliott, who makes
weekly value predictions on the EPL and other leading European Leagues, expected West Ham's game with Villa to finish under 2.5 goals, given that Villa had kept clean sheets in their previous three home games. This makes the team's Villa Park domination all the more of a statement.
Wright insisted that West Ham cannot afford to look too far ahead and must look to “take each game as they come”. Wright acknowledged the influence of former Everton and Manchester United boss David Moyes, who is “experienced enough” to keep his troops focused game-by-game instead of looking at the prize of a Champions League berth. There are plenty of teams behind them with bigger and arguably better squads than West Ham’s, so it’s important for them to keep their feet firmly on the ground.
The arrival of loanee Lingard could be the Hammers’ X-Factor
Ian Wright also waxed lyrical about the signing of Manchester United front man Jess Lingard on loan. Wright believes Moyes has pulled off a masterstroke in luring Lingard to the capital and he “can’t wait to see him without the pressure of United” weighing heavily on his shoulders. The Warrington-born forward came through the Manchester United academy from the age of seven, but has struggled to cement himself in the Red Devils’ line-up some ten years after agreeing his first professional contract in the summer of 2011.
Eventually, after four loan spells in the EFL Championship with Leicester, Birmingham, Derby, and Brighton and latterly, Lingard got his chance to become a regular at Old Trafford in 2015/16. His best season came in 2017/18, when he notched eight goals in 33 league appearances, helping United to a runner-up finish in the EPL under Jose Mourinho.
However, Lingard seemed to peak in that year and the 2019/20 EPL campaign was rather less fruitful for him under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, bagging just a solitary goal in 22 appearances. He’s failed to make a single start this season having fallen further down the pecking order under Solskjaer. A January loan move was always on the cards, and David Moyes is excited to help Lingard recapture the form that made him a regular on the England scene.
Moyes believes Lingard is someone who can “play from the left, from the right or play as a [number] ten”. Although the Scotsman believes Lingard will need “time to settle”, he is confident he will bring creativity and energy to the Hammers’ front line.
Midfield maestro Soucek also catching the eye
25-year-old Czech midfielder Tomáš Souček is fast becoming one of the first names on the West Ham team sheet. Since signing for the Irons just over 12 months ago, he has been in outstanding form, scoring 11 times in 38 appearances – eight of which have come so far this term, making him United’s top scorer.
This is an incredible achievement considering Soucek arrived in East London as an out-and-out holding midfielder. Nevertheless, his goal scoring prowess was something that caught the eye of West Ham’s scouts during his six-year spell with Slavia Prague in his homeland, where he bagged 31 times in 114 appearances – a goal scoring rate that most centre forwards would be happy enough with.
At an imposing 6ft 4”, Souček has the physicality and temperament to hold his own in the EPL for many years to come. His £19 million transfer fee is certain to look like remarkably shrewd business by the Hammers in the next couple of years. Already, the Czech is getting admiring glances from fans of West Ham’s London rivals, including Arsenal, who have been enamoured with his box-to-box Patrick Vieira-esque playing style.
Defensive rock Ogbonna quick to praise Moyes for winning mentality
32-year-old Italian defender Angelo Ogbonna has been a tower of strength at the heart of the West Ham backline so far this term. The former Juventus defender took some time to settle into English football but 2020/21 appears to be his most consistent season yet, and the Italian international puts that down largely to the return of David Moyes as boss.
Ogbonna said in a recent interview with the official West Ham United website that since Moyes came in "everything has changed”. He believes the Scotsman has successfully instilled a “new mentality” – one which gives them the freedom and confidence to express themselves. And express themselves they have, with in-form Everton and Aston Villa two of their most recent league scalps. Whatever happens from now until May, Moyes and his troops have a free hit to attack those Champions League spots