West Ham have continued to build on last season’s success and their performances against the top-six sides are a major reason why the club has improved.
Throughout West Ham’s last campaign, they had gone from relegation favourites to top-four hopefuls. They finished 6th in the league table and qualified for the Europa League group stages – the first time they have ever done so.
Many believed that this was just a fluke and that their impressive performances would not continue on through this season, especially with fans returning to stadiums. However, that has not been the case at all.
The Hammers have now won nine from their past 11 games and have lost only twice in all competitions this season. David Moyes has done a fantastic job to push them up to third in the league table, three points off the top, and got them into the EFL Cup quarter-finals and Europa League knockout stages.
It’s because of these extra competitions and good performances in the league that this campaign seems even better than the last. Not only does the squad have more depth this year but it has also improved at both ends of the pitch.
But the main indication that the club has improved, is that they are now competing with top-six sides. So far this season they have already beaten the likes of Liverpool, Man City, Man United and Spurs in all competitions.
Compared to previous years, this has rarely been the case. Even against these same sides last season they had struggled but finished the season strongly with solid performances against lower opposition.
Now, there is a sense of confidence and belief before every big game. Rather than dread and worry, the players now appear to be more motivated to go into the match positively and cause an upset – just as they did against Liverpool last Sunday.
The best way to break into the top six is by being able to contend and battle with the league’s elite and West Ham have shown that they can do that this season.
