Quite Deluded Moyes & Zouma have it all wrong
There appears to be something amiss with David Moyes and Kurt Zouma’s arithmetic because both seem to be under the impression that West Ham are on the cusp of qualifying for Europe. This baffling, delayed sense of urgency appears to have the squad fired up for a European push about a month later than they should have been.
Zouma’s comment that the Hammers have “three cup finals” this season might explain the lack of fight or urgency in matches against Crystal Palace or Fulham—the squad clearly didn’t think those were significant games.
It’s incredibly frustrating to hear this recent rallying cry from the players and management considering that the opportunity has likely passed. Perhaps they missed the memo that England’s UEFA coefficient ranking means there will be one less European spot available next season.
Lopetegui close and Moyes could leave early
This means that only the top seven finishers in the Premier League will qualify for European competition next season, and West Ham are currently 9th. Manchester United are currently 7th and a substantial five points ahead of the Hammers, with a game in hand. Considering our poor goal difference, it’s effectively a six-point gap.
I’m not entirely sure who Moyes and the team think they’re fooling, but unfortunately, it seems the ship has sailed. Zouma was correct about the importance of “cup finals,” but unfortunately, he identified the wrong games.
The decisive fixtures in the run-in were against Newcastle, Fulham, and Crystal Palace. If the team had recognised the importance of those matches at the time, we might have been going into the final three games with more than just a slim mathematical chance of securing European football.
