Sky Sports expert Lewis Jones predicts result of West Ham v Newcastle
West Ham need to get back to winning ways as the top four race heats up but it won’t be easy against Newcastle United.
The Hammers face Eddie Howe’s side on Saturday [19 Febriary] in the Premier League at the London Stadium, and Sky Sports expert Lewis Jones has predicted a 2-1 defeat for the home side.
Newcastle have turned it around with three wins in a row. They are undefeated in their last five league games and are in full confidence despite losing Kieran Trippier.
The Hammers, on the other hand, are struggling for form and consistency, with the performance at times not being not up to the mark.
Jones wrote for Sky Sports: “West Ham performances are on the wane while the Toon are full of beans and packed full of confidence after back-to-back wins and clean sheets.
“I thought the Hammers lacked imagination and were second best for large periods in the 2-2 draw with Leicester and the same could be said in the edgy 1-0 win over Watford as the workload on Michail Antonio’s shoulders looks to be taking its toll.
“When he’s not fully wound up, West Ham struggle to implement their forceful game on opponents. Head-to-head records are not always a reliable medium to base an argument on but Newcastle’s strong recent results against the Hammers are relevant to their case of backing an away win.”
Worrying
This was always going to be the case, but the Hammers probably didn’t see this coming.
They have a very good squad, but there is a lack of depth in the side compared to other top-four rivals.
The Hammers should have added players in the January window, and the squad needed freshening up a bit. They are now paying the price.
Michail Antonio is struggling for form, having failed to score in his last six games in all competitions. In terms of effort, there’s no complaint, but that extra bit of quality is missing from him.
It seems the Hammers are heavily reliant on Jarrod Bowen to deliver. During this tough phase, it is Bowen’s goals and assists that have kept West Ham into the top-four race.
This has to change, and that too quickly. Along with the results, the performance also needs to improve. It will be a tough ask against a rejuvenated Newcastle side, but that’s the challenge any ambitious manager will relish.
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