In one of the more lowkey events of round 36, Chelsea and West Ham lock horns. With both teams comfortably in mid-table, they don’t have anything to play for at this point in the season other than the fact that they have to do it as part of the schedule as well as for the sake of pride.
This season has not been the greatest for Chelsea, but those who expected greatness from Chelsea this season are probably the Chelsea fans themselves.
The Blues squad has been one with so many moving parts from player personnel to coaching staff to even managers. A lot of people seem to forget that Mauricio Pochettino is only in his first season as Chelsea boss and has a young and newly assembled team to navigate and manage.
The Boehly/Clearlake era has been one of the ‘big move’ after ‘big move’ in the transfer market with huge amounts of money spent on what looks like a long-term project. They have tied down some of the best young talents around to long-term deals in the hopes that they grow into superstars during their time at Chelsea.
It is a decent strategy but it is risky as the present situation involves a lot of growing pains, the likes of which Chelsea are experiencing right now.
Talent is not the problem, but the players need time to develop as individuals and as a team. This requires patience, a trait not common among Chelsea fans.
The Chelsea manager has consistently called for this patience from the fanbase but it remains to be seen if the club’s fans will truly accept the Argentine as their permanent coach.
Speaking on his team’s progress back in December, the Chelsea boss sighted the positives of their season but also the negatives.
‘The performance from the beginning of the season is not bad,’ Pochettino said when asked for his thoughts on the campaign thus far on the Chelsea website.
‘We could have said it’s very good, but in terms of competing we are at the bottom. That is why we are not in a better position at the table.
‘Football is about having all the quality and knowledge in your set-ups, the way you press and build from the back, and so on. Then at some point during the 90 minutes, you need to compete: that is the moment you need to show you can play another [style of] football. We need to improve there.”
West Ham United on the other hand are in a bit of a situation. They are a team that has shown they have the talent on the pitch and beyond to keep them in the position they currently find themselves but some Hammers fans want more.
It’s a split fanbase. Some of the West Ham supporters believe that with a better and more modern coach, they will compete higher up the table for more honours while other hammers faithful care more about stability and positive results regardless of quality of performance.
The West Ham boss has heard the comments as well.
“Maybe there would be managers who excite them more – but the one who is sitting here wins more.”
“Consistency and stability at West Ham might have been the things that were missing.
“Now there’s a much more stable team and a club which isn’t bouncing along all the time. Europe for three years in a row is a great example.”
It is okay to be a fanbase that is forward-thinking but the Hammers need to look at the fate of teams like Leicester City as a point of reference. Not all risks are worth taking.
When both teams locked horns earlier this season, West Ham pulled off an impressive 3-1 victory despite being down a man from the 67th minute onwards.
Goals by Nayef Aguerd (who eventually got sent off for a second yellow), Michail Antonio and Lucas Paqueta got the goals for West Ham while Carney Chukwuemeka’s strike was the only Chelsea goal of the game.
Match tickets
This English Premier League match takes place on Saturday, 4th of May, 2024 with kick-off scheduled for 3 PM UK time. Chelsea vs West Ham United tickets are available for sale on the Chelsea website with registered members required to apply for tickets to be included in the ballot and season ticket holders given priority allocation.
Team news
One of Chelsea’s biggest problems in this campaign is the inability of their players to stay fit, particularly in defence and midfield.
They have been fortunate to have Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo available for the most part this season but the likes of Romeo Lavia (who is out for the season), Carney Chukwuemeka, Christopher Nkunku, Levi Colwill, Wesley Fofana, Lesley Ugochukwu and Reece James barely available this season.
West Ham, on the other hand, have a clean bill of health at the moment. They did have a period of injuries with some of their key players out of the squad but they managed to weather the storm and keep themselves in a safe position on the league table.
With a full complement of players on the team, the Hammers are arguably the most dangerous team in transition in the league this year.
Line-ups
The Blues will be looking to end the season on a high note and a derby victory over the Hammers will give the team a morale boost that they can carry into the offseason.
They are not competing for trophies, but wins against good teams can still do a lot for the team’s confidence.
Chelsea: Petrovic, Gusto, Disasi, Badiashile, Cucurella; Enzo, Caicedo Palmer; Madueke, Jackson, Mudryk
Although West Ham is in a strong position, the team’s performances in the final games of the season have the potential to decide the future of David Moyes at the club.
With some of the fan reactions, a strong end to the finish might be the only thing that helps him stay West Ham manager by the beginning of next season.
West Ham United: Areola; Coufal, Mavropanos, Zouma, Emerson; Ward Prowse, Bowen, Paqueta, Kudus, Antonio
Prediction
When it comes to this fixture, there is a surprising evenness about the recent results between both sides.
In the last 10 games between the two sides in the Premier League, four wins have gone to West Ham while five have gone to Saturday’s home team.
West Ham’s ability to hit on the counterattack makes them one of the worst matchups against a possession-heavy Chelsea side that can be caught out at home. The Blues will need to play at a high level to break the Hammers’ block and score goals.
Chelsea FC 2-2 West Ham United