Written by : Harry

After a very poor run of form against a group of teams we should be doing better against, the next 3 fixtures are key to our season. It starts with a trip to a well organised Burnley, followed by a massive home game, Sp*rs. Finally, there is a short journey across London to Stamford Bridge to play Frank Lampard’s in form youngsters.

Burnley will be coming into the game Saturday on the back of a 3-0 hammering from the surprise of the season so far, Sheffield United. They have conceded 9 goals in their last 3 matches. Sean Dyche is renowned for his side’s resilience and organisation at the back and he’s turned Turf Moor into a very difficult place to go. Last weeks result won’t have been forgotten and you can be sure they will be a much more organised performance. This could likely be an issue for a West Ham front four who have been poor going forward and have lacked quality and imagination. However, this is a must win game for the Irons and Pellegrini will surely be working on a way to break down a dogged Burnley defence.

After the international break, Tottenham visit the London Stadium for the early Saturday kick off. They are also struggling badly and currently sit in 11th and only sit above us on goal difference. There are serious questions whether Pochettino will stay. Us fans must make this an intimidating atmosphere that will heap even more pressure onto Spurs and put them off their game. They have a world class striker and quality players in attack, but they have been off the boil this season and it is up to us to keep up the pressure on them. Depending what kind of fan you ask, this is either a must win game or a must not lose game. With the focus all on this Tottenham squad who were thought to be title challengers by some in preseason, there is no reason why we can’t grab 3 points here.

The trip to Stamford Bridge will be an interesting one. Chelsea have one of, if not the youngest squads in the Premier League this season. Whatever you think of Lampard and Chelsea the job they have done so far is commendable, possibly something we should look at to help develop our promising youngsters who currently get very little game time. Their inexperience is something a veteran manager like Pellegrini must capitalise on. He needs to try a tactic that Lampard will have never seen before, and really take the game to Chelsea. If we sit back and hold off, their extra energy will break us down in those later minutes where our aging players will tire. It will be a tough match however we play, they have future stars all over the pitch and our own youngster, Declan Rice will have a huge role to play in stopping the likes of Hudson-Odoi, Pulisic and his best mate Mason Mount. A point here would be a good outcome.

Overall, it all boils down to how Pellegrini approaches these games. If we stick with what we have been doing, we will be in for a tough ride. But if things change, we could very well be celebrating a 7 or 9 point pickup and a derby day victory that could reignite our season.