Paul Merson predicted that Tottenham Hotspur will come out on top against West Ham United in their Premier League match. Merson told Sportskeeda on 17 October that the Hammers have not met expectations this season and questioned if Julen Lopetegui has figured out his best starting lineup yet.
Merson Expects Tottenham Hotspur to Win Against West Ham
Paul Merson is backing Tottenham Hotspur to secure a 2-1 victory, even after their recent collapse against Brighton.
“This is a massive football match due to the big rivalry between the two sides. Tottenham looked great for 45 minutes against Brighton before the international break, but they eventually ended up doing what they’re known for during that 3-2 loss. The ‘Spursy’ tag seems to never leave them.
“We saw the same thing happening during the game against Leicester, now it’s happened again. When they’re 2-0 up and cruising, everything seems great. But as soon as they concede, no one wants to stand up for each other. That’s a worrying trend and a huge problem for Ange Postecoglou.”
Paul Merson further said:
“Spurs crumble too quickly under pressure. We’re only in October and we’ve seen it happen twice now. They were probably playing their best team against Brighton, I really don’t think there’s a lot wrong with that line up either.
“West Ham have not lived up to the expectations. When Julen Lopetegui finds his best XI, they will start firing. But I still doubt if he knows that. They got a big win over Ipswich last time out and the international break probably came at the wrong time for them.
“West Ham could be back to where they started now, and with the break giving time for things to settle down at Tottenham, I’m backing Spurs to win 2-1”.
International Break Came Too Soon for West Ham
Just before the international break, West Ham appeared to be experiencing a resurgence in their performance. The Hammers secured a commendable four points from a possible six, following a hard-fought 1-1 draw with Brentford and an emphatic 4-1 victory over Ipswich Town. At the beginning of the season, West Ham was heavily favored for a European push, bolstered by the arrivals of star players like Max Kilman, Niclas Fullkrug, and Guido Rodriguez. This was not destined to happen immediately, as the Hammers sit in twelfth place in the Premier League standings. Lopetegui’s men are five points above the relegation zone.
For Lopetegui’s squad, securing a victory against Tottenham Hotspur is crucial to showing that they can rise to the level of their pre-season ambitions. The Spaniard will undoubtedly count on Jarrod Bowen to deliver another standout performance. The Englishman can guide the team to a crucial victory against Tottenham Hotspur and silence Merson in the process.
Thoughts
Tottenham Hotspur was in charge of halftime against Brighton. But a terrible second-half display led the North London team to suffer a heavy defeat. On the other hand, West Ham recorded a solid 4-1 victory over Ipswich Town, showing signs that they have found their rhythm again.
Result
Tottenham Hotspur took on West Ham on Saturday and came away with a 4-1 win. Tottenham scored three goals in eight second-half minutes as they recovered from being a goal down. Muhammed Kudus, who later left the match after lashing out at Micky van de Ven and Pape Matar Sarr, put the Hotspurs ahead before Dejan Kulusevski equaled the match. After half-time, Tottenham thoroughly dominated West Ham, led by strikes from Yves Bissouma and Son Heung-min that sandwiched an own goal by Jean-Clair Todibo.
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