WHZ View: West Ham should be fighting for Europe by Christmas
Despite a very hard start to the season West Ham have made it through their opening seven league games and are well clear of the relegation zone.
It’s fair to say that few fans would have predicted that the Hammers would take points off Manchester City and Tottenham and get very convincing wins against Leicester and Wolves.
Now David Moyes’ side face a preferable run of fixtures which could drastically improve West Ham’s chances of fighting at the right end of the table.
In their next three league games, the Hammers face Fulham, Sheffield United and Aston Villa. These are three games where Moyes’ side should be taking maximum points and that’s not such an outlandish claim as it first seems when you break it down.
Fulham at home
Scott Parker’s side picked up their first win of the season on Monday against a dire West Brom team and other than that game they have pretty woeful themselves. Based on recent Hammers performances this should be an easy win.
Sheffield United away
The hardest of these three games as it is away from home but we have seen this season that home advantages don’t seem to exist in empty stadiums. Chris Wilder’s side still don’t have a league win this term and let’s be honest, the Blades have a Championship squad, this should be another easy win.
Aston Villa at home
Villa started well but they conceded four at home to Southampton on their last outing and don’t seem the confident attacking side they were in the very early stages of the season, at the London Stadium West Ham should be winning comfortably.
Three wins would put the Hammers on 17 points, which no team is yet to reach this season. Should 9 points make their way to the London Stadium in the club’s next three games then the conversation has to turn to challenging for Europe.
That 17 point total would probably put the Hammers around seventh or eighth place which would put Moyes’ side in a good position to push on. Harder games follow but this season this team has proved it can hold its own against the big boys of the Premier League.
Some might say we’re getting carried away but we’ll see where we are in three games time…
In other West Ham news, conflicting reports have emerged over the future of Declan Rice.