EFL Cup: Wolves vs West Ham! A lackluster cup to test fighting spirit, can Potter accept defeat more easily?

Let’s talk aboutthe EFL Cup: Wolves vs West Ham!

Both teams share the same poor record this season, with two losses each.

But the pressure on their managers differs significantly.

As you can observe,West Ham’s head coach Potter is a frequent candidate for sacking everywhere.

He originally was solidly in first place, but the sudden situation with Nottingham Forest’s manager Santo pushed him down to second.

Meanwhile, Wolves’ coach Pereira is much more stable, and nobody expects him to be dismissed anytime soon.

Why is there such a difference? What impact might this have on today’s match?

Today’s game is somewhat special,because the EFL Cup doesn’t hold much value—at least not compared to the FA Cup, which offers higher prestige, better rewards, and qualifications for the Europa League and Community Shield. The EFL Cup falls short in all these aspects.

Premier League matches are already extremely intense, and with multiple cup competitions, the season is exhausting and injury-prone.

Therefore, for a relatively insignificant tournament like the EFL Cup, it’s often treated as a chance to rest key players and give substitutes some playtime.

This leads to a situation—sometimes the winner isn’t the more famous or stronger team, but the one that wants it more.

So the question arises—which team, Wolves or West Ham, is more eager to win this match?

I believe it’s West Ham.

On Wolves’ side, the Chinese owners haven’t increased investments in recent years; in fact, Wolves have been selling key players every season.

In the last three Premier League seasons, only six clubs have sold more players than they bought, and Wolves is one of them.

Note: Other teams with more sales than purchases, like Saints, Foxes, and Sheffield United, are all in the Championship now.

Since the Premier League is almost like a European Super League with fierce competition, without investment, even survival is tough.

Given Wolves’ owners don’t invest and even sell players, if current coach Pereira can keep the team from relegation, that would be considered a successful achievement, so there’s no immediate threat of dismissal.

(Although last season’s ranking was low, 42 points is still acceptable; historically, no Premier League team with over 40 points has ever been relegated)

Actually, Pereira has the highest average points per game among the five managers since Nuno.If they fired him, it would be hard to find a better replacement quickly, especially if limited to Portuguese coaches.

So Pereira’s main task this season remains survival; despite starting with two losses, losing to a powerhouse like Manchester City or a narrow defeat with a red card against Bournemouth is understandable. The key will be securing points against Everton next.

West Ham’s situation is more awkward.

Their goal is not just to avoid relegation,they have reached European finals and even won trophies in recent years, with an owner willing to invest.

Note: Owners can’t even accept Moyes’ excellent results and keep making changes!It’s clear they don’t see themselves as a survival team but one that must achieve honors.

Thus, current coach Potter is definitely under pressure; with his current performance, his job is very much at risk.

I think he needs a strong comeback,at least to stop the losing streak.

Look at West Ham’s schedule:

their next match is away at Nottingham Forest, who have beaten West Ham three times already, showing a big gap in strength. Then they face Tottenham, which is even tougher.

If West Ham loses this match too,they could start the season with five straight losses,putting Potter’s job in serious jeopardy.

So, although Wolves have shown more fighting spirit in the league, playing through a red card against Bournemouth, while West Ham looks like they’re collapsing with some players acting strangely,

the goals and determination for this rather insignificant cup might differ between the two sides.

Can the seemingly struggling West Ham satisfy their fans? What do you think? I hope they at least avoid defeat!

Alright, for other matches today, I’ll share written insights with you all tonight. If anything is unclear, feel free to ask me. “Watch football and understand it,” see you then!

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