The lowdown on West Ham | Tom Maher

A London derby is on the agenda this weekend as we make a short trip to the east to take on West Ham United.

With a clash against the Hammers this weekend, we spoke to Tom Maher, writer for The Halfway Line, to give us the lowdown on our opponents…

Having watched West Ham this season, where did they struggle in the first half of the campaign?

Tom: “Scoring goals was a huge issue for West Ham. Last season, Viviane Asseyi had the joint most goal involvements of any player in the WSL while Shakeira Martinez scored 10 goals in the league after being recalled from her loan spell at SC Freiburg in January. However, in the first half of this season there was a notable drop off - Martinez had three league goals while Asseyi scored only once in a 4-1 defeat to Brighton. Defence was also an issue, and it remains one as West Ham have conceded 30 goals this term, five more than the next most in the WSL.

“Their big strength last season was their home form. The Hammers only lost three times in the league at the Chigwell Construction Stadium last term, securing their highest points total in a WSL season. Those three losses came against Chelsea, Arsenal and Aston Villa, their first three home matches of this season. The Hammers once again lost all three and dire away form over both seasons cost the east London club. When they played more winnable games at home, they were punished for not converting their superiority, conceding late equalisers against Leicester City and Liverpool.”

A big win against Leicester City last time out, how much of a confidence boost can that be for the Hammers moving forward?

Tom: “Given the Hammers only won once away from home in the WSL the entirety of last season, victory at the King Power Stadium was a huge boost. The win kept them in touch with Leicester City putting them just a point behind their opponents when defeat would have seen them fall seven behind. The result ensured the Irons evaded the bottom of the table and were not leapfrogged by Liverpool, despite the Reds victory last weekend.

“West Ham were comfortably beaten in the corresponding fixture 4-2 last term so this result felt like clear progress in comparison. Both goals, one a free kick from Austrian wing back Verena Hanshaw and the other from German international Shakeira Martinez, were exceptional flashes of individual brilliance. The Hammers rode their luck in the closing moments but dug in, with goalkeeper Kinga Szemik particularly impressive. The Polish keeper's commitment to the cause is unquestionable incurring actual whiplash with an excellent save in the final action of the match to secure all three points.

“West Ham head coach Rita Guarino said on Thursday that she has felt more energy and confidence in the group since victory on the weekend. Whether the Irons will be able to convert that into a result in the derby remains to be seen.”

We’ve already seen some strong additions from West Ham this January - who are the ones to look out for this weekend?

Tom: “West Ham have signed a couple of big names this window, none more so than Lioness Katie Zelem. After struggling for minutes at London City Lionesses at the start of the season, Zelem opted for a move across London to West Ham on loan. She will reunite with Rita Guarino with whom she won a Serie A title at Juventus with. 

“Estelle Cascarino, twin sister of Delphine Cascarino, has also signed for the Irons. The defender's short time at the East London club has already got tongues wagging after she was unable to come off the bench to make her debut against Chelsea as she could not remove her earring.

“Tuva Hansen, another key signing from German champions Bayern Munich, is one of the most infectious personalities in women’s football. Her father Hugo Hansen played 13 times for Norway while sister Hega featured 14 times for her nation. The last of Hege's caps was the same match as the first of Tuva's. Tuva now closes in on 60 caps for Norway this year. Hansen is a serial winner and has won the league title at every club she has played for since 2021.

“West Ham needed reinforcement after losing several key names this window. Recent England international Anouk Denton signed for Bay FC while Belgium defender Amber Tysiak also left for Union Berlin. In addition, fan favourite Manuela Paví has joined Deportivo Toluca.”

Which other players should we keep an eye on?

Tom: “Most West Ham fans will agree that Riko Ueki has been the club’s best player this season. The Japanese forward does a lot of the unfashionable work up front, dropping deep to link up attack and defence and is an effective weapon on the counter.

“For the past couple of seasons, the double pivot of Katrina Gorry and Oona Siren have shone and formed a real partnership. They work tirelessly and form a solid base for West Ham to build from. Leila Wandeler, who signed for the Hammers in the summer, had an excellent UEFA EURO 2025 for her home nation with a number of impressive cameos from the bench. Wandeler was less trusted by Skinner but started last weekend’s victory over Leicester City, she has lightning pace, a keen eye for a pass and is still only 19 years old.”

Rita Guarino was appointed as manager last month, what will she bring to this West Ham side and the WSL?

Tom: “Guarino began coaching Italian youth side before enjoying tremendous success as head coach of Juventus winning four league titles; a less impressive spell at Inter Milan followed. Guarino is a tactical genius and even wrote and published a book on women’s football tactics almost a decade ago. She is far from the stereotypical Italian tactician, favouring a build from the back, passing style of play. Guarino was complimentary about Spurs in her pre-match press conference, saying she will not take the challenge Martin Ho’s charges pose lightly.

“West Ham have scored five goals in three away games since she arrived, perhaps that should not be a surprise as Guarino was a prolific goal scorer in her playing days. The Italian remains her nation's sixth highest women’s international goal scorer and famously found the back of the net in the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup quarter finals against Norway. Guarino also scored in the early iterations of the UEFA Women’s Champions League for Torres Terra Sarda. If you want an excuse to like her as a Spurs fan, in 2004, she found the net against Arsenal in the UEFA Cup quarter final.”

How do you see the game panning out on Sunday?

Tom: “West Ham remain a bit of an unknown quantity under Rita Guarino, the match this weekend will be the Italian's first home match in charge of the club. Guarino will be concerned if West Ham are forced into a change of goalkeeper due to Szemik's injury and they will assess her before Sunday’s match. Guarino has confirmed that Zelem is fit and available to feature this weekend for West Ham for the first time since signing for the club, which is a big boost.

“Spurs come into this match with a point to prove after defeat to Liverpool last weekend. I expect Martin Ho's side to respond and get back on track with a win, but the margins will be small and expect mistakes to be capitalised on. If West Ham can get a foothold in the match and fire up the crowd, the Chigwell Construction Stadium can quickly become a horrible place for a travelling side to play football.”