Belgium newspapers react to West Ham United 2-1 Anderlecht
Newspapers in Belgium feel Anderlecht’s 2-1 loss against West Ham won’t help the Jupiler League side as they face Club Brugge in their next league fixture.
Goals from Said Benrahma and Jarrod Bowen were enough for David Moyes’ men to secure victory and in turn their qualification through to the knockout stages of the Conference League.
The media in Belgium were impressed with the Hammers and suggested it was “all hands on deck” for Anderlecht during their defeat at the London Stadium.
Newspaper Gazet van Antwerpen wrote (pg 7, 14 October): “A club that comes full of confidence from that Champions League [Brugge], while purple-white [Anderlecht] still remains with doubts. The match at West Ham didn’t help much
“Every time West Ham pushed the accelerator a little, it was all hands on deck.
In another Belgium publication, De Standaard they said (pg 23, 14 October): “The match at West Ham didn’t help much. Okay, Felice Mazzu chose a 4-4-2 field in the London Stadium and RSCA tried to stand his ground, but the Hammers were two sizes too big.”
Job well done
It’s proven to be an easy task for the Hammers in Europe this season as Moyes’ men cruise through to the latter stages of the Conference League. The West Ham boss will now look to utilise the remaining two fixtures to give fringe players more game time.
When the knockout stages get underway, it would not be a surprise to see the Scot prioritise the Conference League, with the competition looking like their best chance of securing European football again next season.
The Premier League is certainly a tougher challenge than it has in recent years, with more teams looking to challenge for the top six than ever before.
Last season the Irons were alone in trying to break the top-six trend, but this year the likes of Newcastle and Brighton are also getting involved in the conversation.
At the moment Europa League qualification does look unlikely, particularly through finishing sixth which is why this competition should be considered extremely important by Moyes.