West Ham United lost 2-0 at Premier League rivals Everton on Saturday to cast doubt on whether Manuel Pellegrini’s side can challenge for Europe.
Ian Holloway tipped West Ham United to challenge high up the Premier League table this season but, speaking to talkSPORT (25 October, 9am), the former Millwall manager is now wondering whether he expected too much from Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
The Hammers spent big this summer, breaking their transfer record to sign prolific Sebastien Haller from Frankfurt while also landing Pablo Fornals, the fleet-footed magician who helped Spain win the U21 European Championships in July.
But despite boasting one of the strongest teams outside of the top six, the Londoners have suffered an alarming dip in form of late. They have lost three of their last four games, including a 4-0 EFL Cup thumping at Oxford and a humbling 2-0 reverse at Everton on Saturday.
“I have to say I really fancied them. I like their manager, the team he’s building,” Holloway told the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast on talkSPORT.
“But Everton smashed them. I had it the other way around, I predicted they would go there and win in style.
“You just can’t guess it can you?”
West Ham are yet to see the best of Fornals, who is taking time to adapt to life in the English game, but there is no reason why a team containing the attacking talents of Felipe Anderson, Manuel Lanzini and Andriy Yarmolenko cannot inspire a European charge over the next few months.
But questions continue to be asked of West Ham’s consistency and character with a dreadful run of results unlikely to silence any doubters.
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