Manuel Pellegrini was asked whether sixth a realistic target for West Ham this season?
The West Ham manager told reporters “Maybe. We started with no points, it was very unexpected now just to be two points behind the European spots now but we are always talking to the players that we must go game by game. Manchester United play tomorrow but always we are talking about what is happening at the top half of the table, not at the bottom half of the table.
Our target for this season, we know that the first five teams have a lot of points but we will try to continue winning and at the end of the season, we will see.”
Pellegrini has never finished a season outside the top six of every club he has managed to date.
West Ham climbed up to ninth place in the Premier League with 24 points after their fourth straight win in the top flight in the row.
The Hammers are on the same points as Everton in eight with just two less goal difference, Wolves in seventh are just one point ahead of the Irons on the same goal difference of zero and Manchester United who are yet to play this week are just two points ahead on a goal difference of plus two.
With Everton facing Spurs before Christmas and Wolves facing Liverpool, a West Ham win over Watford could propel the Hammers further up the table by Christmas Day. Manchester United faces Liverpool today and Cardiff before Christmas. A double loss for them means that it is possible to reach the dizzy heights of sixth place in the Premier League before the end of the year.