West Ham's tough run may be a blessing, says Danny Murphy

Tottenham Hotspur FC via Getty Images
Danny Murphy25 November 2016

This is an incredibly tough run of fixtures for West Ham. Tottenham last weekend, Manchester United this. United again in the EFL Cup, then Arsenal, then Liverpool.

But sometimes, this can allow you to play with a bit more freedom.

Nobody expects you to win the games, so it can make you lose your inhibitions as a team.

If West Ham can keep the score level at half-time, you can be sure that sections of the Old Trafford crowd will turn against their team.

Bounce back factor is key

There is a zest and tenacity about this Watford team that I really like. When they lost 6-1 at Liverpool, they were woeful, horrendous.

But in the next game, they dug out a great result, beating Leicester 2-1. Those are important qualities.

It is hard to judge where they can finish. Teams like these will inevitably have the odd run where they don’t win for four or five games, simply because of the way the fixtures fall.

I doubt Watford will have any trouble, though.

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