James Wood

Mon 5 April 2021 16:00, UK

This is part of a regular series from our panel of Super Fans on upcoming West Ham games. We’re delighted to welcome Ben Johnson as our exclusive Wolves expert.

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West Ham can break into the top four tonight if they’re able to pick up three points away to Wolves at Molineux. 

The Hammers are looking to pick up their first win in two games after dropping points against Manchester United and Arsenal. A win will see us leapfrog Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool in the race for the Champions League.

Wolves aren’t to be taken lightly, though. We haven’t won in the league at Molineux since 2009. Prior to our 4-0 win in September, we’d lost four on the bounce against tonight’s opposition – they’ve proven a tough nut to crack in recent times.

We asked Wolves Super Fan Ben Johnson to give us the low down on the match, what he thinks of their season so far and who we should look out for in the clash.

After an excellent couple of seasons, it’s been a bit of a struggle this year for Wolves. It goes to show how well Nuno Espirito Santo has done at the club. What did he change when he took over as manager in 2017?

He brought in a playing style that we haven’t seen in years. Obviously, everyone will say we had money and good players coming in. You’ve still got to get them playing well, he deserves a lot of credit.

You’ve missed Raul Jimenez greatly this season. Who would you say has stepped up the most in his absence?

Pedro Neto has stepped up massively, you know he has a lot of sauce after that rocket from last season. In all seriousness, he has been class for us, carried us in games without Raul. I’m worried we might lose him similarly to how we lost Diogo Jota.

You spent big in the summer on Nelson Semedo. What have you made of his debut season in the Premier League?

I think he’s improved each game. We’ve been in tough moments this season and he’s quite easy to blame as he’s new and made a few mistakes. I think once we find a bit more consistency, he will step up a bit more – you can see his quality coming through more and more.

Who are the main threats for Wolves?

It has to be Neto – other than that, no one.

What would you class as a successful season? Is the top 10 a possibility?

We will finish outside the top 10. Getting everyone fit and back into preseason now is the main goal. Staying up has been achieved, we can turn a corner this summer.

Wolves have been a tough opponent for us over the years. The reverse fixture was a result that shocked everyone, especially West Ham supporters. What went wrong for Wolves on the night?

It’s just been one of those season’s, similar to West Ham over the past few, where things don’t go your way and the form is hard to maintain. Losing a third of our goals through Jota and Raul and Matt Doherty going in the summer has hit us harder than Nuno expected.

What do Wolves fans make of West Ham this season?

Personally, I think it’s good to see you lot up there. No hard feeling with the Hammers fans, it’s similar to us the last two seasons, fighting for Europe is a class achievement. Hopefully, you’ll be able to go and watch a few games if you qualify.

Who do Wolves fans see as the main threats from West Ham?

I really like the look of Jarrod Bowen. Tomas Soucek and Michail Antonio will give us a run for our money as we struggle with big physical players, they’re your main threat.

Do you see any weak spots in the West Ham side that you expect Wolves to target? 

I don’t personally. I think you’re better than us from back to front this season. Ruben Neves might have a good game and pop one in.

What’s your prediction for the game and why?

I think 3-1 to you. It’s a shame we haven’t got much of a threat going forward – Daniel Podence is back and might make an impact. But that’s it.

In other West Ham news, was John Hartson a one-hit-wonder, of a cult hero?