West Ham have come through as difficult an opening schedule to a Premier League campaign as possible relatively unscathed, and must now build on their strong start and attack what seem to be more favourable upcoming fixtures.
After playing six of last season’s top eight in the opening seven fixtures, including the top two, the Hammers now face Fulham this weekend, followed by Sheffield United and Aston Villa immediately after the international break.
Tomorrow’s opponents have struggled to adapt to life back in the top flight, whilst Sheffield United haven’t recaptured their form from last term and Aston Villa only survived by the skin of their teeth.
With this in mind, David Moyes and his players must be relishing the opportunity to pit their wits against a different calibre of sides than that which they have faced in recent weeks.
The last fortnight in particular has been thankless for the Irons – despite more than holding their own and earning a point against Manchester City, Moyes’ side have had limited possession coming up against City and Liverpool respectively.
The Hammers should be able to look forward to seeing more of the ball, perhaps even in advanced areas, and the likes of Jarrod Bowen and Pablo Fornals may be allowed to impart more influence going forwards.
Moyes’ team selection is unlikely to see wholesale changes – Michail Antonio remains sidelined which means Sebastien Haller is likely to continue at centre-forward.
There could well be scope to see new number nine Said Benrahma from the start for the first time after his fleeting debut off the bench last week.
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Although no Premier League fixture could ever be regarded as straightforward, after coming through such a tough run of fixtures the Hammers should be confident about their chances of picking some victories, which have eluded them of late despite worthy performances.
A pragmatic approach, rigid defence and not leaving too much space has been the order of the day recently. However, starting on Saturday with the visit of Fulham, Moyes can allow his attackers more opportunity to express themselves.
