Emerson Palmieri has been one of West Ham United’s most consistent players so far this season.
In fact, since joining the Irons from Chelsea last summer, the Brazilian-born full-back has slowly, but assuredly, become one of the team’s most impressive performers.
A 50th appearance in Claret and Blue just before the international break, in the 3-2 home win over Nottingham Forest, was the perfect opportunity for Emerson to briefly pause and reflect on his career so far in east London. It has been a season-and-a-half of triumph, challenges and personal growth.
That the defender has only missed one Premier League game so far this season – due to suspension – shows how invaluable Emerson has been to manager David Moyes. It is a trust that the 29-year-old refuses to take for granted. For there are plenty of other talented players in the Hammers squad, all chomping for a chance in the starting XI.
As one of the team’s most decorated players, Emerson retains the taste to win even more silverware. All of UEFA’s trophies have come his way at one time or another in his career, but there is a hunger to add more.
Emerson is confident he can do exactly that with West Ham United.
“I think the team has started the season very well,” the 29-year-old told the Official Matchday Programme. “We’ve played a lot of games and we got some good results, and played well too. There have been some tough matches in there, and some results that we’re not happy with. I look at games like Aston Villa and Everton in the last few weeks which have not been as good as we expect of ourselves, and we know we can do much better.
“I think we were showing that before the international break with wins against Olympiacos and Nottingham Forest. We want to keep our consistency and keep playing at our best level in every match. We got the result against Burnley last week and we need to kick on.”
A busy December schedule for the Hammers kicks off against Crystal Palace on Sunday, continuing a hectic run of games across three competitions that started away at Turf Moor last weekend.
Emerson has stepped onto the pitch a few times against the Eagles. His mind goes back to two difficult matches last season. He knows Roy Hodgson’s side will be a tough test at London Stadium.
“One thing is for sure, you’re always going to have a tough game when you play Palace,” he continued. “I remember last season we lost both Premier League matches against them, and that was hard to take.
“All London derbies are big games and I can remember facing Palace when I was at Chelsea too. They have never been an easy opponent. They are a physical team with some really talented players, and a couple of them are very good with the ball. They had a good season last year with Roy Hodson back as manager.
“Some players like Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze have a lot of individual quality, and they are tough for any defender to come up against. They are game-changers for Palace. They will want to come here and create chances and score goals.
“For us, we need to be aggressive and brave with the ball. When we haven’t got the ball, we need to remain compact. If we leave too much space then players like Olise and Eze will show their quality and cause us problems.
“It will be tough but we are at home, with our fans cheering us on, and we want to win this game for them.”
The tenth issue of West Ham United's 2023/24 Official Programme for Sunday's Premier League fixture with Crystal Palace is available now!
