Graham Potter in ‘Tough’ spot ahead of West Ham United v Fulham

West Ham United facing Fulham in the Premier League is not ideal for Graham Potter, Paul Merson has said.

The pundit believes the Hammers will find it “tough” to beat Marco Silva’s team as Potter takes charge of his first game at the London Stadium in the Premier League on 14 January.

While the Brighton boss feels like the right appointment at the Irons, Merson says he will have to wait for his first win, predicting a 2-2 draw.

Writing in his Sportskeeda column, he said: “Potter has come in at West Ham, and it’s an appointment which really fits the club. He’s a manager who loves playing his football on the front foot and West Ham have some talented players who can do that for him.

“Even though it’s a positive development at West Ham, I just don’t think they can beat Fulham. This will be a really tough game for the Hammers. Fulham are a team that make life difficult for even the big boys in this division. It’s not the ideal game for Potter to begin his Premier League journey after replacing Julen Lopetegui.

“Both Fulham and West Ham went ahead with naming strong teams in their FA Cup games at the weekend, but the latter got knocked out by Aston Villa. I expect a draw here.”

Graham Potter needs West Ham United win v Fulham

Julen Lopetegui’s departure from the Hammers was inevitable after the poor set of results, and Potter can’t let himself be under the same pressure.

While the performance against Aston Villa in the FA Cup showed drastic improvement, the Irons still ended up losing 2-1.

The English manager can’t afford to start his tenure at the London Stadium on a negative note as he’ll be left catching up later on.

West Ham are in the bottom half of the table, and while relegation isn’t a threat at the moment, they could soon get dragged into the drop zone if negative results continue to be the norm.

The East London club have won just six games in the Premier League this season, and there needs to be a drastic recovery almost immediately.

Potter is dealing with an injury crisis already, with Niclas Fulkrug out for a considerable period, and it remains to be seen who he will rely on to score the goals against Fulham.

In other West Ham news, a huge twist has emerged regarding the transfer of Taiwo Awoniyi.

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