Monday evening was poor for West Ham fans, with the Hammers failing to win against London rivals Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. It wasn’t the best performance of the season by any means, and Chelsea deserved their win.
However, that doesn’t mean that there’s nothing positive for West Ham fans to take away from the game. To the contrary, the second half of the game offered real reason for optimism for the London Stadium faithful.
That’s because Manuel Pellegrini acted at half-time after a poor first 45 minutes – and the benefits were hugely positive.
By pushing Marko Arnautovic into a more central role, the Hammers were far more effective in every way. He served as a much-needed out-ball for Pellegrini’s team – and the club were unlucky not to have been rewarded for their fine display, particularly during the first 20 minutes.
Whilst Chelsea dominated the game for much of the first half, it was West Ham that came out after half-time swinging, with a number of players having good chances that could, on another day, have gone in.
Sure, we weren’t able to get the ball over the line, and that’s frustrating, but it was the change in shape, form and outlook that made the game far more positive for West Ham – and it’s something that we must look to follow-up upon this season.
Far too often this term we’ve let games get away from us. We didn’t allow that to happen against Chelsea – and Pellegrini deserves a lot of credit for that.
West Ham fans – thoughts? Let us know below!
