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'Belief is back' for West Ham in race for top four says Alan Curbishley
West Ham have got their belief back in the hunt for a top four place and can cement it with signings in January, says Alan Curbishley.
The Hammers made it back-to-back victories in the Premier League on New Year’s Day with a hard-fought 3-2 win over Crystal Palace thanks to goals from Michail Antonio and a brace from Manuel Lanzini.
With Arsenal losing to Man City earlier in the day, West Ham closed the gap to fourth place to just one point with both teams having played 20 games each.
Former manager Curbishley, who was a pundit on Premier League TV, says the results in the last two games show the belief is back in the side now and thinks they could cement a top five position if they spend well in January.
“It was [a big result], and the Watford result,” he said. “Away at Watford, struggling against relegation, two local derbies and coming out with the six points. It’s what they needed after the run they’ve been on.
“The belief is back, and he’s done it with most of his back four missing. I think the West Ham fans are interested in the fact there’s been a bit more investment in the club and, you know, are they going to go into the transfer market and try and cement this top four or top five position?”
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Uphill task
Even with back-to-back wins in the Premier League and the attacking players seemingly finding their groove again, finishing in the top four is a big task for the Hammers.
Both Tottenham and Manchester United are able to overtake them if they win their games in hand and all three of the other teams in the race have much deeper squads than Moyes has available to him.
With that said, the lack of expectation on West Ham in this chase could play into their favour as they can just carry on with their business with nobody paying too much attention.
A defender is definitely needed in January to help with their injury problems, while a striker to help ease the load on Antonio certainly wouldn’t go amiss either.
If they can secure those deals and keep key players available throughout the campaign, then who knows where the limit is for this team.
In other West Ham news, Hammers want to sign ‘unplayable’ £20m star in January – report.