West Ham vs Chelsea
Premier League
Sunday
20th August 2023
London Stadium
The most comprehensive preview, detailed analysis and reliable predictions of game week 2 of the Premier League fixture between West Ham United and Chelsea.
West Ham vs Chelsea: Preview
West Ham form analysis
The Hammers ended the season with a 50/50 record of 2 wins and 2 losses from their final 4 league games. The victories came against Manchester United (1-0) and Leeds United (3-1). However, they suffered losses to Brentford (0-2) and Leicester City (1-2). West Ham scored 5 goals across the 4 matches, with Rice, Bowen and Lanzini getting on the scoresheet. But they failed to score in 2 games. Defensively there were issues as they conceded 5 goals while keeping 0 clean sheets. Their home and away splits contrasted – West Ham won their last 2 home games but lost their final 2 away matches. In summary, it was an up and down end to the season for West Ham. Finding more consistency will be key for them to progress next year.
Against the Cherries, West Ham opened the scoring through Bowen’s excellent long range strike in the 51st minute. They had several chances to extend their lead with Paquetá, Antonio and Benrahma coming close. However, they were unable to get the second goal and Bournemouth equalized late on. West Ham’s midfield trio of Soucek, Paquetá and Fornals controlled possession well for most of the match. Defensively they were organized but conceded from a set piece situation.
Chelsea form analysis
Chelsea’s league form leading into the summer was poor, winning 0, drawing 2 and losing 2 of their last 4 games. They failed to pick up a single victory, with draws coming against relegation battlers Nottingham Forest (2-2) and Newcastle (1-1). Losses to direct rivals Man City (0-1) and Man Utd (1-4) effectively ended their hopes of a top half finish. Chelsea scored just 4 goals across the 4 games, with new signing Sterling netting 2. Their lack of attacking threat was alarming. Defensively they were extremely porous, shipping 8 goals and keeping 0 clean sheets. Individual errors proved very costly. Their home and away splits were identical – 0 wins, 1 draw and 1 loss in both their last 2 home and away games. Overall, it was an extremely disappointing end to the season for Chelsea.
Last weekend, Chelsea were defensively solid overall, keeping Liverpool mostly at bay aside from the goal conceded. Centerbacks Thiago Silva and Levi Colwill did well. However, Chelsea struggled to create clear goal scoring chances despite having a lot of possession. They relied on set pieces for their goal. Chelsea’s midfield lacked creativity and service to the forwards. Gallagher and Chukwuemeka were subbed off early. Sterling was quiet on the wing while Mudryk looked lively after coming on as a substitute. Nicolas Jackson showed some positive flashes as the central striker but missed some chances.
