Paul Merson predicts ‘pundit’s nightmare’ West Ham United vs Tottenham result
Paul Merson has backed West Ham to come through their third tough assignment in a row against Tottenham with another point.
After fighting back to secure 1-1 draws against both Newcastle and Chelsea in the previous two outings, Merson expects David Moyes’ men to end with the same scoreline again in a match-up he admitted is a “pundit’s nightmare” to predict.
He believes that the Hammers will provide a tougher test for Spurs than their favourite opponents Manchester City, because the two London rivals are relatively evenly matched and the home side will be obliged to go for the win, but has tipped the Irons to take another point back to Stratford.
Merson said in his Sportskeeda predictions column: “Tottenham did pretty well against AC Milan and they kept the scoreline down to 1-0. They were never going to win that game, if I’m being honest.
“If Tottenham could play against City every week at home, they’d be all right. They’d sit back and play on the counter.
“West Ham are a pretty good team and on their day, there’s not a lot between these teams. Both these sides are a bag of rebels [sic]. In a game like this where Tottenham need to go and get a win, you don’t know what you’re going to get.
“They could win this game by a 3-0 margin or play out a draw, and no one would be shocked. It’s a pundit’s nightmare. I would be shocked if they lost, however, because they set up to avoid defeat in Premier League matches.”
Habit
Points, however they come about, can’t be dismissed for West Ham this season and going undefeated through two London derbies and a trip to St. James’ Park is a fair achievement.
The past two games should have reminded the players that they can match up against anyone and may have given them the confidence to push for what would be a crucial win.
But the extensive injury list is undermining the positive side of things, with Lucas Paqueta and Nayef Aguerd both forced off against Chelsea.
There are a number of players who should not be far off a return, and if Moyes could ever have a full squad to select from he might be able to finally start working out what to do with all of them.
He hasn’t adapted especially well to the influx of new arrivals this season, but scrambling to address injury crises in defence and attack at different points hasn’t helped his cause.
While the pressure on the manager and the players has subsided slightly in recent weeks, it will only take a couple of defeats and a win or two for the teams around them to dump the Hammers right back in the relegation battle for real.
Going to North London and springing a surprise against a Spurs side coming off a Champions League defeat and a 4-1 thrashing by Leicester last weekend would be a major boost, and the opportunity is certainly there based on their current form.