Chelsea’s start is motivation for Pellegrini
MANUEL Pellegrini believes Chelsea’s perfect start to the Premier League season will provide even greater motivation to West Ham ahead of their capital showdown tomorrow.
The two sides meet at the London Stadium with West Ham boosted by ending a four-match losing streak following their first win of the campaign against Everton last weekend.
Chelsea, meanwhile, have been in irrepressible form under new manager Maurizio Sarri, moving to the summit of the table with five victories in as many matches.
“I know that here in London there are a lot of derbies, but we have our first of the season
against Chelsea, and they are at the top of the table so that is more of a motivation to beat them,” Pellegrini said.
“It is impossible to start better than Chelsea have, but every game is different so we must be confident that we can play, and we need to be very concentrated on defending because they have players that make a difference in space.
“But, if we beat Chelsea it will not change our season. We will have just had six games, and not 38. We must continue to try and improve every week.”
Pellegrini finally claimed his first league win as West Ham manager with an encouraging 3-1 defeat of Everton at Goodison Park.
Declan Rice was one of six changes by Pellegrini at the Toffees following West Ham’s dismal defeat at home against Wolves.
The 19-year-old impressed as the anchor in West Ham’s midfield, and it is likely he will get another chance to build on his performance against the Blues.