Welcome to West Ham United: episode 7

 

Could the Hammers make it four league wins on the bounce for the first time since December 2018?

Possibly. But as Nuno Espírito Santo rightly conceded after Tuesday night’s frantic 3–2 victory over Bolton, it’s going to require a significantly tighter defensive display than the one we witnessed at the Toughsheet Community Stadium.

While Jarrod Bowen continues to carry the goalscoring burden with ruthless efficiency, West Ham’s backline remains far too generous, having managed just one clean sheet in eight matches across all competitions this season. We can’t keep giving opponents a head start and expecting Bowen to tidy up the paperwork at the other end.

Then there’s the small matter of the visitors.

West Ham need to keep their eyes firmly on the pitch and ignore the circus surrounding Wrexham. Hollywood FC will be desperate to manufacture another headline for the next series of Welcome to Wrexham, and knocking the league leaders off the top of the Championship under the London Stadium floodlights is exactly the sort of script Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney would happily sign off.

We haven’t seen West Ham consistently hit top gear yet this season, but Friday night under the lights provides the perfect opportunity to make a statement.

The Championship’s resident draw specialists will no doubt fancy their chances of grinding out another stubborn result, but Nuno has enough attacking quality at his disposal to cause serious problems. If the midfield can control the tempo and, preferably, the defence remembers that clean sheets are still a thing, West Ham should have enough to make it four wins in a row.

Hollywood can wait. There’s a league to win.