West Ham Fan View: Three things to look out for against Newcastle
West Ham face Newcastle tomorrow and we have to redeem ourselves following the defeat to Arsenal on Tuesday. Here are three things to look out for…
How much will Manuel Lanzini be missed?
Manuel Lanzini won us the penalty against Stoke but was later charged for diving and is now banned for two games. Now it was clearly a dive, we cannot dispute that. But what is frustrating is the inconsistency when it comes to decisions such as these and the way in which the system is structured. We saw far worse offences in Manchester City v. Tottenham though nobody was charged.
READ MORE: West Ham Fan View: Why David Moyes MIGHT be the right man for us
Lanzini will be a huge miss and he has been instrumental to Moyes’ West Ham. We have no other player like him in the squad and this is something that we may need to address in January. He is not afraid to take risks with the ball and his creativity alongside his ability to take on players means that we may struggle without him.
Will West Ham redeem themselves?
Many expected Slaven Bilic to be sacked following our disastrous performance against Newcastle in August. This game summarised how low our performances had dropped after we conceded three goals without scoring. There was little intent when attacking and our defensive organisation was very poor. The lack of energy and fitness was clear and Newcastle were able to beat us with ease.
READ MORE: West Ham Fan View: Why Slaven Bilic had to go
But we are a completely different side now and we go into this game with great confidence. Our improvements were clear against Stoke in what is normally a difficult game. Newcastle have only gained 1 point from their last 9 games and there is no excuse for not winning this weekend.
A better Christmas than last season?
Last season, we only gained 3 out of 9 points from the Christmas period. This year, we face Newcastle, West Brom, and Bournemouth. We have a very good chance of building on our momentum and going on a winning run.
There were fears that we would be 20th in the Premier League at the start of 2018 though this is not the case anymore. We can create distance from the relegation zone if we continue to show the form that we have.
