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Chelsea: Three things to look for in clash against West Ham

By Gabe Henderson

LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 01: Frank Lampard, Manager of Chelsea reacts following the Premier League match between West Ham United and Chelsea FC at London Stadium on July 01, 2020 in London, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 01: Frank Lampard, Manager of Chelsea reacts following the Premier League match between West Ham United and Chelsea FC at London Stadium on July 01, 2020 in London, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /
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LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 01: Frank Lampard, Manager of Chelsea reacts following the Premier League match between West Ham United and Chelsea FC at London Stadium on July 01, 2020 in London, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 01: Frank Lampard, Manager of Chelsea reacts following the Premier League match between West Ham United and Chelsea FC at London Stadium on July 01, 2020 in London, England. Football Stadiums around Europe remain empty due to the Coronavirus Pandemic as Government social distancing laws prohibit fans inside venues resulting in all fixtures being played behind closed doors. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images) /

Chelsea returns home after two straight losses to host West Ham, here are three things to look for in the latest London derby.

Chelsea has disappointed fans in its last two matches and to make matters worse, supporters haven’t forgotten the heartbreaking defeat at the London Stadium the last go around. The Blues have slipped further and further down the table with each loss, going from two points back of the league leaders to nine at the moment—given the “game in hand”. A loss could be catastrophic for Frank Lampard’s side, which is exactly why Chelsea has to be careful against a West Ham squad that has only dropped one match since the beginning of November.

David Moyes’ Hammers are in fine form, punching well above their weight this season. Many expected West Ham to be amongst the relegation contenders at this point, but a win would see the Irons jump their west London rivals. It goes without saying, this match is a must win for the Blues.

Here are three things to look for in the contest:

1. If not now, when?

Chelsea has struggled over the last two match weeks, that’s no secret around Stamford Bridge. A sluggish performance against Everton transitioned into an uninspired outing at Molineux where the Blues left it late and dropped all three points to Wolves. These losses have seen Chelsea slip from third to eighth in the table, and if Lampard’s side doesn’t take all three points from the home fixture against West Ham, things can get ugly. This is large-in-part due to the close proximity of the teams in the top half, but that’s no excuse for potentially sitting 10th by the end of the day Monday.

Luckily, a cupcake like West Ham comes to the Bridge and the Blues will get a good crack at ending their skid, right? Wrong. Moyes is in contention for Manager of the Year at this point as his scrappy side is grinding out results week in and week out. West Ham has earned 21 points from its opening 13 games, clocking one of the league’s best defenses in the process. Only Chelsea (14), Tottenham (12) and Man City (12) have conceded less than the Hammers’ 16 goals, which is incredibly surprising given the gauntlet (Wolves, Leicester, Spurs, Man City, Liverpool) West Ham went through earlier in the season.

In addition, the Blues have struggled to subdue their east London rivals in recent years. Chelsea has won four, drawn three and lost five games in all competitions against West Ham since 2015—including being beaten twice last season—and things won’t get any easier this time around. It’s a special game given Lampard’s history at the club; one he has yet to beat in his managerial career. The Blues need to buckle up and beat West Ham if they want any chance at vying for the title this season, that much is certain.

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