David Moyes says West Ham United can prove their credentials as a Premier League club over the next fortnight.
Fresh from defeating Chelsea 3-2 in a thrilling match at London Stadium, the Hammers will contest four games over the next 13 days that will, if things go to plan, see them confirm their top-flight status and end a uniquely challenging season on a high.
The manager is targeting 40 points and, with fixtures away to Newcastle United and Norwich City and home to Burnley and Watford, it is a tally his team could achieve from those games if they perform to the same level they did against the Blues.
“I’ve set my bar at 40 points, which I feel that, if we keep aiming for that and we fall slightly below it, then it might be enough, but in my mind there was always a feeling that winning ten games in the Premier League would be enough to stay up because you’d always get a relative amount of draws with it,” he explained.
“I think, for us to have any chance of staying in the Premier League we’ve got to have ten wins and we’re not on that, so we’ve got to try and reach that point.”
We’ve shown now we can challenge some of the good teams by getting a good result against Chelsea and the proof of that now comes in the next four games
David Moyes
Moyes also feels his team were rewarded for the hard work he, his staff and his players put in before, during and since lockdown by beating Chelsea, having not achieved the results their efforts warranted in previous matches against Arsenal, Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur, in particular.
“I’ve got to say, I’ve really enjoyed being back because I was out for a wee while and I was longing to get back and longing to get my teeth back into a job where I felt I could help a club and improve a club and I feel I can do that at West Ham,” he said.
“When we went into lockdown, I felt we were just starting to get a bit of momentum with the team, but then we came back and didn’t start well, but personally I thought we were prepared and ready, but we just didn’t perform to a level to beat the two teams we were up against.
“We’ve shown now we can challenge some of the good teams by getting a good result against Chelsea and the proof of that now comes in the next four games. How we perform in the next four games will obviously give us a good indication of where we’re going to be next season.
“I feel good, I am glad I’m back, and I have to say the players have been great since I’ve been back and they continue to be that way, I have to say.”
