The Times' Gary Jacob gives us his view on the Hammers' terrific form
The Times football journalist Gary Jacob reflects on a memorable start to the season for the Hammers and looks ahead to Saturday’s game against Watford.
After Gary Cahill equalised for Chelsea last Saturday my initial thought was that Chelsea would go on to win. Despite being a man down they started the second half very strongly and they looked the more likely to score another.
However, I looked down at the substitute’s bench and was struck by how strong the Hammers’ bench was.
The bench on Saturday was worth around £50m which is incredible. If you look at who didn’t play on Saturday there are so many options.
Obviously Andy Carroll deservedly stole the headlines, but Slaven Bilic also had Enner Valencia and Nikica Jelavic at his disposal. Pedro Obiang and Angelo Ogbonna made useful cameos while Darren Randolph and Michail Antonio are far more than just back-up.
That strength in depth is such a massive asset, especially considering Winston Reid, Victor Moses and Alex Song were all unavailable.
I think that’s the biggest difference from this season to last, and it also helps the mental strength of a side. After Cahill scored they could’ve easily gone under but they regrouped and finished the game very strongly.
It’s also a great confidence booster knowing that James Tomkins and James Collins, arguably third and fourth choice central defenders, can come in and do well.
This strength in depth, and the variety of players that Bilic can pick from allows him to play a number of different styles, it isn’t just counter-attacking, although that has been very effective. Against Chelsea, they really identified Kurt Zouma as a weakness and honed in on that.
Another bonus is that almost everyone is on form. Since taking the captaincy Mark Noble is playing very well, Mauro Zarate looks a completely different player and Diafra Sakho is working very hard despite not getting his reward in goals.
Added to that, Adrian’s now showing that he’s one of the best goalkeepers in the League.
Strange as it may sound, this Saturday’s game with Watford is bigger than the Chelsea match because this is a game that they are expected to win.
Bilic is clearly a very clever manager, he’s got different tactics for different situations. He’s hugely thoughtful about giving his answers, some managers’ shoot from the hip but he’s very measured, thoughtful and considered. You can see the lawyer in him. He’s very focused and calm; he has a very good aura and karma about him.
When things go against him, he doesn’t put that pressure onto the players, he’s like a shield which is very important, and he settles everyone down and gets the best out of them.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of West Ham United.
After Gary Cahill equalised for Chelsea last Saturday my initial thought was that Chelsea would go on to win. Despite being a man down they started the second half very strongly and they looked the more likely to score another.
However, I looked down at the substitute’s bench and was struck by how strong the Hammers’ bench was.
The bench on Saturday was worth around £50m which is incredible. If you look at who didn’t play on Saturday there are so many options.
Obviously Andy Carroll deservedly stole the headlines, but Slaven Bilic also had Enner Valencia and Nikica Jelavic at his disposal. Pedro Obiang and Angelo Ogbonna made useful cameos while Darren Randolph and Michail Antonio are far more than just back-up.
That strength in depth is such a massive asset, especially considering Winston Reid, Victor Moses and Alex Song were all unavailable.
I think that’s the biggest difference from this season to last, and it also helps the mental strength of a side. After Cahill scored they could’ve easily gone under but they regrouped and finished the game very strongly.
It’s also a great confidence booster knowing that James Tomkins and James Collins, arguably third and fourth choice central defenders, can come in and do well.
This strength in depth, and the variety of players that Bilic can pick from allows him to play a number of different styles, it isn’t just counter-attacking, although that has been very effective. Against Chelsea, they really identified Kurt Zouma as a weakness and honed in on that.
Another bonus is that almost everyone is on form. Since taking the captaincy Mark Noble is playing very well, Mauro Zarate looks a completely different player and Diafra Sakho is working very hard despite not getting his reward in goals.
Added to that, Adrian’s now showing that he’s one of the best goalkeepers in the League.
Strange as it may sound, this Saturday’s game with Watford is bigger than the Chelsea match because this is a game that they are expected to win.
Bilic is clearly a very clever manager, he’s got different tactics for different situations. He’s hugely thoughtful about giving his answers, some managers’ shoot from the hip but he’s very measured, thoughtful and considered. You can see the lawyer in him. He’s very focused and calm; he has a very good aura and karma about him.
When things go against him, he doesn’t put that pressure onto the players, he’s like a shield which is very important, and he settles everyone down and gets the best out of them.
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily those of West Ham United.