What will it take for West Ham to do well in the Premier League?
West Ham played their first game of the Premier League 2022/23 campaign against Manchester City, losing 2-0. While they won't be the only team to lose to the champions this year, the London team offered very little in the opening day defeat. Even a West Ham fan with rose-tinted glasses on will admit that they never looked like scoring. The good news is that they will not play Manchester City every week. But what do they need to do to ensure this season is good?
Improve the left-back position
Getting a new left-back through the door will be important in West Ham's quest for a high finish this Premier League season. We have seen lots of different rumors about players the club is linked with. There have been talks of West Ham launching a £21m deal for Destiny Udogie, yet a lot of experts expect Tottenham to beat their London rivals to the signature of the rapid Italian. However, with plenty of time left to make moves, we're sure that Moyes will have some backup options if the Udogie deal doesn't get over the line.
Get Scamacca integrated into the team quickly
One of the very few positives from the Manchester City game was the debut for Gianluca Scamacca, who came on for the last 33 minutes of the game. He tested Ederson, although ultimately from an offside position, but he also displayed some neat link-up play.
Souček spoke about the new arrival after the game:
"It's good for us and for him. He got his first minutes today, and I hope he adds many more and helps us get results."
A new central midfielder wouldn't go amiss
Finally, things do look a little bit on the thin side when you consider West Ham's central midfield positions. While Souček and Rice are, no doubt, an incredible pairing. West Ham does not have much cover in those areas if one of them becomes injured. Despite the signing of Flynn Downes from Swansea City, who happens to be a Hammer's fan, we would say that this is still an area that could do with some improvement, especially when you consider how condensed this season is going to be because of the World Cup in Qatar at the end of the year. It may not be at the top of their list of priorities, but it could help them to solidify their efforts this year.
Where do you think West Ham will finish this season?
So there you have it: some of the areas we think West Ham will need to improve on in order to make it another good season for David Moyes' team. Do you have a strong opinion on where West Ham will finish this season? We know Premier League outright markets are exceptionally popular on Sportsbet.io and other sportsbooks, and we are sure many West Ham fans will have backed their team to finish high up the league this campaign.