Have West Ham turned the corner?
This is the big question being asked by the European media after Slaven Bilic’s side saw off Chelsea in the EFL Cup midweek in a heated (at least in the stands) affair at the London Stadium.
Securing their third win in a row, the Hammers finally appear to have found a formation and a team that allows them to see off teams, even if their winning margins aren’t always the biggest.
In Spain, they reckon they’ve found the reason for West Ham’s winning ways, and that’s Pedro Obiang.
Producing a stat that might surprise a few, the Spanish newspaper explain that every time the midfielder has been called upon by Bilic, the club haven’t lost.
Brought in for the 1-0 win against Accrington Stanley in September, the player was then selected again in the draw vs Middlesbrough, and the Croatian manager hasn’t looked back.
Winning their next three games, Marca call the player West Ham’s new ‘talisman’, something they bring up when interviewing the 24-year-old on Friday.
He said: “At first, it was a friend who told me that every time I played, we won, but I didn’t know if he was doing that to encourage me, and that I would get more minutes. Then, I got told about it more. It could just be a coincidence, but it’s a good coincidence.”
Explaining he felt his inclusion in the squad brought in some fresh legs and calmness to West Ham, the former Sampdoria man explained the best is yet to come for the London club.
With all their signings, they might not have ‘the potential of City, Chelsea or United, but West Ham have a very strong project’.
Now, all they need to do is climb back up the table, starting with an away game against Everton on Sunday.
