It'll be no great surprise to learn that to West Ham United's form has dipped considerably since 2022 began.
David Moyes' side enjoyed a superb 2021, accruing enough points over the entire calendar year to finish sixth in the annual table just two points behind Manchester United (fifth), three behind Arsenal (fourth) and four behind Liverpool (in third).Embed from Getty Images
The Hammers chalked up wins against the Premier League's top three clubs in the first half of the season
The Hammers chalked up wins against the Premier League's top three clubs in the first half of the season
West Ham earned a total of 73 points from their 41 Premier League matches in 2021, at a hugely impressive 1.78 points per match. It was enough to secure qualification for the Europa League at the end of the 2021/21 season and put the Hammers in with a realistic chance of qualifying for the Champions League this season.
That points tally came from 22 wins (54%), seven draws (17%) and 12 defeats (29%) with 73 goals scored - at 1.78 goals per game - against 51 conceded (1.24 goals p/game).
Premier League table 2021: top ten
1. Man City P 44 Pts 110 GD +81
2. Chelsea P 42 Pts 83 GD +38
3. Liverpool P 41 Pts 77 GD +43
4. Arsenal P 41 Pts 76 GD +28
5. Man Utd P 41 Pts 75 GD +25
6. WEST HAM UTD P 41 Pts 73 GD +22
7. Tottenham P 40 Pts 66 GD +14
8. Leicester P 40 Pts 62 GD +7
9. Brighton P 40 Pts 52 GD 0
10. Leeds P 40 Pts 52 GD -10
Yet since the beginning of 2022 the Hammers have struggled to emulate that superb performance, racking up just 24 points from 17 league outings at an average of 1.41 points per game. That total is worth just shy of 58 points based upon 2021's 41 games played - a reduction of 15 points on last year.
It's distinctly mid-table form that has seen the Hammers drop to ninth in the Premier League for 2022 fixtures only, below the moderately in-form Wolves (25 points) and former relegation candidates Newcastle United (32 points) plus eight points below third-place Tottenham.
With seven wins (down from 54% to 41%), just three draws (18%) and seven defeats (up to 41% from 29%), West Ham's goal difference remains positive at +2 - but with just 23 goals scored at 1.35 goals per game and 21 conceded (1.24 goals per game).
Premier League table 2022: top ten
1 (3). Liverpool P 16 Pts 42 GD +30
2 (1). Man City P 15 Pts 36 GD +29
3 (7). Tottenham P 18 Pts 32 GD +18
4 (-). Newcastle P 17 Pts 32 GD +2
5 (4). Arsenal P 16 Pts 31 GD +5
6 (5). Man Utd P 19 Pts 27 GD -3
7 (2). Chelsea P 15 Pts 25 GD +10
8 (-). Wolves P 17 Pts 25 GD +2
9 (6). WEST HAM UTD P 17 Pts 24 GD +2
10 (9). Brighton P 18 Pts 23 GD -3
Embed from Getty Images
It's been a different story since Christmas, with manager Moyes forced to juggle a league campaign and run in Europe
It's been a different story since Christmas, with manager Moyes forced to juggle a league campaign and run in Europe
As for the Europa League, the Hammers managed four wins (66.6%) one draw and one defeat (16.6%) from their six group games in 2021 - while understandably, given the improved quality of opposition, the two wins (33.3%), one draw and three defeats (50%) in 2022 equated to rather less promising results.
With two games of the season left to play, West Ham remain in with a shout of finishing in the top six for a second successive season - although to do so they will need to revert to the form of last year rather than continue with 2022's.
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