West Ham find themselves in a rather sticky situation ahead of the new Premier League season, as they travel to Romania just three days prior to their curtain raiser against FA Cup champions Arsenal. The Hammers could potentially be eliminated from the Europa League; before they’ve even qualified for it, as they have to score against Astra Giurgiu this Thursday. They let a two-goal lead slip following a series of unfortunate events, as Enner Valencia and Joey O’Brien both suffered first-half injuries, in addition to the sending off of defender James Collins. So, which competition should Slaven Bilic be prioritising at such an early stage of the season?
European football most definitely offers a unique experience for the club. It is such a rarity at Upton Park to see teams from across the continent compete at the Boleyn Ground. So far this summer, it has given fans the opportunity to follow the Irons in both Andorra and Malta. Tickets for home ties have been fair and affordable and given many local families the chance to spur their team on with capacity crowds. An adventure like no other, the Europa League has been enthralling, having already thrown up a nervy penalty shootout.
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Furthermore, it has given many of the Academy players a platform to shine and show what they can do. We have already seen the likes of Elliot Lee get on the score sheet, as well as youngsters Lewis Page, Djair Parfitt-Williams, Martin Samuelsen and Reece Oxford get a regular run out on the playing field. The Development Squad often has many talents playing week in week out at Under 21 level, but these qualifying rounds thus far have taken their blossoming careers one step further. Take Oxford, for example, at just 16 years of age, he has started multiple matches. He has already demonstrated fantastic versatility, starting the home leg against FC Astra as a defensive midfielder and finishing the game at centre-back.
However, the Premier League is indeed the pinnacle of English football. You only need to look at the amount of television money that clubs obtain to recognise the vast scale of the top domestic division. It attracts some of the biggest names in world football, arguably shown by the arrivals of Dimitri Payet and Angelo Ogbonna from Ligue 1 and Serie A respectively. What makes the situation more difficult is getting off to a bad start can perhaps leave a sour taste in the dressing room. Then again, having to visit the Emirates is never going to be an easy task regardless of other competitions.
Therefore, I believe that we should take the strongest squad possible to Giurgiu. West Ham will most probably lose the match against Arsenal if we are to look at the scenario realistically. Arsene Wenger has a number of world-class players at his disposal, and the addition of Petr Cech is hardly going to make things any simpler. It makes sense to take our best possible starting eleven to Romania and try and reach the next round of the Europa League, and then play a weakened side against the Gunners. It is a dilemma in which many fans find themselves torn, but trying to advance in Europe and suffering an away loss to Arsenal is by no means a decision that isn’t pragmatic. It is logical.
