West Ham will take on Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League with a chance to end the wait of 58 years for a European trophy. They had already experienced a season of extreme contrasts, fighting desperately to avoid Premier League relegation while cruising through Europe for the second consecutive season. From top to bottom, the purgatory is located. Although the manager of the Hammers has subsequently reaffirmed his intention to stay, there has even been discussion of David Moyes leaving the club willingly depending on the outcome of Wednesday’s Europa Conference League final versus Fiorentina in Prague.
An undercurrent of optimism and confidence that this West Ham team, which has consistently performed well on the continent over the previous nine months, can make one more push can be felt beneath such possible highs and lows. Moyes was even questioned about whether this team would be honoured with a statue similar to the one that was unveiled just two years ago in honour of Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst, and Martin Peters’ contribution to West Ham’s final taste of European success, the Cup Winners’ Cup in 1965, before the team left for the Czech Republic.
“I doubt anyone would have believed you if you had told them we’d finish sixth and seventh in the Premier League, we’d advance to the semifinals of a competition in Europe, and then a year later, we’d reach the final of a competition in Europe. Before we entered, I believe you would have refuted that statement by saying, “No, that’s not true,” West Ham boss David Moyes said before his side takes on Fiorentina. “I believe there are several positive developments. I believe we have brought a lot of West Ham fans and the team some really fantastic moments, and may it continue. We want to keep doing it and expand it. We want to continue it and have more of these great moments, which are particularly meaningful to me in a cup final. It’s been a long since West Ham was here, for sure.”
It would be a fitting finish for one of East London’s favourite sons if Declan Rice’s last chapter of his West Ham history saw him win a European title for his childhood club. In recent years, Rice has advanced through the ranks unlike few others, cementing his place in club legend. It is simple to forget that the amiable, self-assured captain, who never hesitates to stand up for his teammates, just turned 24 in January. Few would begrudge him a move of the type that has been discussed this summer, with Champions League occupants Bayern Munich and Arsenal at the front of the queue. He has led his team on the pitch as well as off it on the way to Prague.
If Rice and his squad can add to the all-too-slim honours board at the London Stadium on Wednesday night, he will be eligible for one of his own statues, which was unveiled in Olympic Park two years ago and honours the iconic West Ham three. He exemplifies the “West Ham way,” which has occasionally been made fun of, much as Mark Noble did before him. He also demonstrates how to combine aggression with poise.
He has made more interceptions than any other player in the Premier League despite the club’s terrible domestic campaign, and only five of the eight players ahead of him in the tackling rankings are midfield competitors. He has also had the 12th-most touches in the league, the 10th-most passes completed, and the 13th-most touches in the final third while controlling West Ham’s midfield with the ball.
Moyes might follow in the illustrious footsteps of John Lyall and Ron Greenwood by becoming just the third manager of West Ham to lead them to a trophy. In light of the team’s problems in the Premier League this season, which, at times, he conceded, brought him dangerously near to being fired, there is a growing narrative that, were he to succeed, the Scot, who turned 60 this year, might be excused for choosing to leave the club on a high. Alphonse Areola is the club’s starting custodian, but Moyes intends to start with him despite Lukasz Fabianski’s superior ranking. But Moyes will face a difficult choice if the game ends in penalties.
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