Today marks the one year anniversary of Manuel Pellegrini embarking on a new dawn for the Hammers.
In typical West Ham fashion, it has been a year of inconsistency, but there is great room for optimism after losing only five matches since January, three of which came against clubs in the top six.
We’re all aware of the injury crisis that hit the club this season – previous managers have moaned and used it as a reason to excuse poor results –but the Chilean remains professional throughout.
Furthermore, he gives freedom to players. He allows them to express themselves and though this has led to an argument that this sometimes leads to a drop in effort, it also results in Felipe Anderson lighting up the London Stadium in a way we’ve not seen since Dimitri Payet – just ask Palace or Newcastle fans what they think of him.
Pellegrini also deserves praise for his work with Declan Rice. The Young Player of the Year has become a fans favourite, and rightly so, after an excellent season which looked in doubt after only playing 45 Premier League minutes (vs Liverpool) in the first month of the season. Pellegrini trusted him to play a more advanced role and Rice has excelled.
It is easy to forget that Pellegrini lost his first four league matches. Now after a year working with the squad and hopefully more players to join, it is acceptable to expect Pellegrini to lead a charge towards Europe.
