From the outside looking in, it seems to have been an up and down sort of season at London Stadium. How would you summarise it?
It’s very tough to summarise without writing a mini dissertation, but in short, there have been some of the highs you would associate with a very special season, while also having some of the lows best matched with a disastrous one. Had it not been for wins in recent weeks, most notably against Manchester United and AZ Alkmaar (home and away) this could have been a very, very different campaign. With two games left, if you had offered West Ham fans 15th place, but a first European final in 47 years, I’m sure the vast majority would’ve taken that for sure, especially after last year’s near miss against Eintracht Frankfurt.
How much will Thursday night’s success take out of West Ham, do you think?
It may actually work in West Ham’s favour. Moyes has said how tough it has been to play Thursday/Sunday football this season, but at times, they’ve had better form with the quicker turnarounds than they have with the longer ones. West Ham will have already sealed their safety before they face Leeds, should Everton not win this weekend, so there may be less appetite or desire for points, but considering it could well be West Ham’s final home match with Declan Rice as the club’s captain, it could be a very emotionally charged and important game for the Hammers.
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Can you see Moyes making changes as he starts to think about the Conference League final?
I wouldn’t be surprised if Moyes makes a few changes, especially having a near full squad to choose from against Leeds. Last weekend, he made nine changes from the side that beat AZ Alkmaar in the first leg to face Brentford, but he will also want to end the season strong. There may be the scope to give a few players a rest and make some changes, but also, they will want to continue their momentum and put on a good show in West Ham’s final match this season at the London Stadium.
What is the perception in east London of Leeds this season?
I feel like there’s a sort of acceptance that Leeds are more likely to go down than they are not to. Obviously they’ve showed spirited performances in the last two games, but suspect that they would have wanted more than just one point to show from it.
How do you feel Leeds can open West Ham up this weekend? What is the Hammers’ biggest weakness?
More often than not, West Ham have been quite a tough side to break down and boast one of the better defensive records in their league, with scoring goals being a problem more frequently. Pressing could be a good way of getting at that them, as a few sides have gained real benefits from getting at them and scoring goals on quick breaks. Whether Michail Antonio plays or not will make an interesting talking point, having seemed to go off injured on Thursday night. Expect a tough test for Leeds’ centre-backs if he does play, but if he doesn’t, West Ham are likely to have less success centrally.
There’s so much riding on this game for Leeds, but do you think Big Sam can keep Leeds in the Premier League at this stage?
Honestly, I don’t. While Leeds have looked more improved under Big Sam, the move seems to have come way too late and with a tough run to finish with. Realistically, I think they’d have to beat West Ham to stand any chance of doing so, which is easier said than done.
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