Premier League make official decision ahead of Chelsea vs West Ham
Chelsea and West Ham face off at Stamford Bridge on Monday night in the Premier League.
Chelsea and West Ham are now just a day away from going head-to-head in the Premier League, with the two London sides having the misfortune of having to play on the evening of deadline day.
The Blues head into this one hoping to move back into the top four, although Sunday’s results will decide whether they have the opportunity to do so. Meanwhile, the Hammers are down in 14th and hoping to continue improving under new boss Graham Potter.
It should be another intriguing battle between the two London rivals, and ahead of the Stamford Bridge clash, the Premier League has confirmed the officials that will be in charge. It has been decided that Stuart Atwell will be the referee in charge here.
Atwell has refereed as many as 23 Chelsea fixtures, and only one of those was this season, with the Blues defeating Aston Villa 3-0. Overall, Chelsea have only won six of the 23 games they have had Atwell in charge for, drawing 11 and losing the other six.
As for West Ham, they have a slightly better record having also had Atwell for 23 games, winning seven of those, though they have drawn only four and lost the other 12. This season, Atwell was in charge for the Hammers’ home goalless draw with Everton.
Elsewhere on the refereeing panel, Constantine Hatzidakis and Natalie Aspinall will be the assistants, while Gavin Ward will serve as the fourth official. Michael Salisbury will be the VAR official for this fixture, and Tim Wood will be his assistant. It has been a relatively stress-free weekend for officials in the Premier League so far this weekend, with the main controversial decision coming in an offside call that saw Aston Villa miss out on a goal against Wolves, but Wolves wound up winning the game 2-0 and while they did not dominate, they were good value for their win based on the quality of chances created.
What Maresca has said
Chelsea boss Maresca said in his pre-match press conference ahead of this game: “In all the games we have had chances to score, even in the last game we could score to go 2-0 up and the game would be different. I know we are struggling for results in this moment but the performance are there. In some games, the performance hasn’t been there for 90 or 100 minutes and you need that. It’s been for 70 minutes, 60 minutes or 45 minutes. You need to be there for 100 minutes and that is for sure something we need to improve.
“But for me, the big difference in recent games is inside the box. We have conceded goals we can avoid and haven’t scored goals that in a different moment of the season we have scored. So we have to continue and understand how we can improve these kind of things.”
What Potter has said
West Ham boss Graham Potter said ahead of his Stamford Bridge return: “I’m looking forward to it. I’ve been back there as a pundit, but now I’m going back as a Head Coach with another team.
“I had some good times at Chelsea, and some special nights against the likes of AC Milan and Borussia Dortmund in the [UEFA] Champions League. Overall, the results weren’t ideal during my time at the club, but I’ve never had a problem with anyone at Chelsea. I wish them well as a Club, and I’m thankful for my time there because it’s part of my journey. I’m here now, and I’m delighted about that.”