Key Stat
Chelsea are the only team in 21 games over the past year to have stopped the Hammers scoring at home.
The 200th victory of
Jose Mourinho’s career at Chelsea, achieved against Aston Villa on Saturday, came in just 309 games. The three-time Premier League winner has a win percentage across all competitions of 65%, with 21% drawn and just 14% losses.
In his two spells, the Special One has now defeated five teams, including Villa, on seven occasions in all competitions. Five sides have been beaten eight times: Arsenal, Everton, Newcastle United, Tottenham as well as this weekend’s opponents, the Hammers. Only one side have been beaten more times by
Mourinho’s Chelsea: next weekend’s visitors, Liverpool.
This is not just any old Irons, though. West Ham have not finished above the Blues in the league table since Glenn Hoddle’s final season, 1995/96, but they currently sit six points ahead with their best ever opening to a Premier League season.
There is a paradox in that their success has been built away from the place they have called home for the past 111 years and will soon vacate. They have won away at Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool, a trio of results previously only achieved in a Premier League campaign by the Chelsea of 2005/06, Everton and Manchester United.
In contrast, Boleyn ground spectators have witnessed just one league win in five attempts this year since 2 May. Few sides display such a disparity in home and away success; at least, not that way round.
Most recently on their own patch the Irons conceded early to Norwich, then drew level, only to go behind again as the game drew to a close. Cheikhou Kouyate’s last-gasp equaliser was fortunate, gift-wrapped as it was by the Canaries’ keeper Ruddy.
Everton, Leicester and Bournemouth had all previously alighted at Upton Park this season to burst the Hammers’ bubbles, but 1-0 winners Chelsea are the last visitors to prevent them scoring, nine home league games ago. In fact they have failed to score against us in any the last five Premier League meetings.
West Ham returned from training on 22 June as a result of their Europa League involvement, which kicked off on 2 July, 31 days before Chelsea’s Community Shield match with Arsenal. That early start compared to their rivals may well have contributed to the excellent start to the Premier League season made by Slaven Bilic’s side.
The Hammers’ quick exit from that competition – against Romania’s Astra – also meant they had a clear week while we jetted to and from Ukraine, though who is to say there will not be a price to pay for the curtailed summer break in terms of fatigue further into the campaign. It will be a challenge to the resourcefulness of Bilic, who has never previously coached in a league without a winter break.
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
Saturday
Aston Villa v Swansea 3pm
Leicester v Crystal Palace 3pm
Norwich v West Brom 3pm
Stoke v Watford 3pm
West Ham v Chelsea 3pm
Arsenal v Everton 5.30pm - Sky Sports
Sunday
Sunderland v Newcastle Noon - Sky Sports
Bournemouth v Tottenham 2.05pm
Manchester United v Manchester City 2.05pm - Sky Sports
Liverpool v Southampton 4.15pm - Sky Sports
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE TABLE
CHELSEA BY NUMBERS
Chelsea have won 15, drawn six and lost five of our last 26 Premier League away games.
Our starting team for last week’s match against Aston Villa had an average age of 23.
The 14 players who took part in last Saturday’s win had a combined total of 513 full international caps.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek was the only player involved still to win his first full cap.
Chelsea have conceded five headed goals in the Premier League this term, more than any other top-flight club.
Premier League scorers
Own goals 3, Diego Costa 2, Willian 2, Azpilicueta 1, Falcao 1, Matic 1, Oscar 1, Pedro 1, Ramires 1, Zouma 1.
League games since
An away win: 2
An away draw: 0
An away defeat: 1
MILESTONES
If selected,
John Terry will make his 450th Premier League start.
If selected
Oscar will play his 100th Premier League appearance for the Blues.
WEST HAM BY NUMBERS
Formed 1895
Major trophies
3 FA Cups, last in 1980
1 European Cup Winners’ Cup in 1965
1 FA Charity Shield in 1964 (shared with Liverpool)
Last season
Premier League 12th
FA Cup Fifth round
Capital One Cup Second round
Top scorer all competitions: Diafra Sakho 11
This is West Ham’s best ever start to a Premier League season: 17 points after nine games.
The Hammers are unbeaten in their last six Premier League games, with four wins and two draws.
Slaven Bilic’s side have scored 20 goals in their nine league games this term, only Manchester City with 24 have scored more.
The Irons have the best away record in Premier League this campaign, having won at Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City and Crystal Palace, but the 13th best home record with four points from four games.
They also have the best record against top-half teams so far this season with 12 points from a possible 15.
Dimitri Payet has created more goalscoring chances than any other Premier League player so far this season (39).
Premier League scorers
Payet 5, Kouyate 3, Sakho 3, Jenkinson 2, Lanzini 2, Noble 2 (1 pen), Zarate 1, Maiga 1, Moses 1.
WEST HAM'S SUMMER MOVES
Ins
Darren Randolph (Birmingham free),
Pedro Obiang (Sampdoria, undisclosed), Dimitri Payet (Marseille, undisclosed), Angelo Ogbonna (Juventus, undisclosed), Carl Jenkinson (Arsenal, loan), Manuel Lanzini (Al-Jazira, loan), Michail Antonio (Nottingham Forest, undisclosed), Alex Song (Barcelona, loan),
Victor Moses(Chelsea, loan), Nikica Jelavic (Hull, undisclosed).
Outs
Carlton Cole (released), Guy Demel (released), Jussi Jaaskelainen (Wigan, free), Sean Maguire (released, now Dundalk), Nene (released, now Vasco da Gama), Stewart Downing (Middlesbrough, undisclosed), Kevin Nolan (released), Modibo Maiga (Al-Nassr, undisclosed), Matt Jarvis (Norwich, loan), Morgan Amalfitano, released).
THE MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Referee Jonathan Moss is officiating his first Chelsea game since our 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge against Stoke in April.
OTHERWISE ENGAGED
There are no suspensions.
Victor Moses is unavailable under regulations governing his loan from Chelsea.
Visit again tomorrow for part two of the Briefing.
From Ukraine to Upton Park, the Blues head east again on Saturday. Club historian Rick Glanvill and club statistician Paul Dutton look forward to a derby of note…