Conventional wisdom suggests that the Premier League table begins to take shape once the first 10 matches have been played.
A glance at the standings after that landmark was reached at the weekend would suggest that the maxim rings true: title contenders Manchester City, Arsenal and Manchester United are all in the top four, with Tottenham Hotspur and Liverpool just a few points behind and newly-promoted sides Watford, Norwich City and Bournemouth down in the bottom half.
The two major surprises can be found at either end of the table, with West Ham United flying high in third and Chelsea languishing in 15th place.
The pair of expectation-confounders met at Upton Park on Saturday, with the reaction to West Ham's 2-1 victory dominated by discussions of the champions' meltdown and Jose Mourinho's banishment to the directors' box.
While Chelsea were poor and continue to look a pale imitation of the side that won the title so convincingly last term, Slaven Bilic’s outfit deserve great credit for another excellent performance and result.
Many questioned the logic of West Ham replacing Sam Allardyce – a safe pair of hands who almost guarantees top-flight survival – with the unproven Bilic in the summer, particularly with the retention of Premier League status so vital a year before the move to London’s 54,000-capacity Olympic Stadium.
A faction of the club’s supporters were accused of delusion and a lack of gratitude when they openly pined for the rediscovery of the “West Ham way” last season. Under Bilic, however, the current team has demonstrated that entertaining football and positive results need not be treated as mutually exclusive.
It has certainly been a remarkable start to the campaign, with Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Chelsea all vanquished by a side who are clinical on the counter-attack.
Only six teams – Crystal Palace, Newcastle United, Sunderland, Leicester City, Watford and West Bromwich Albion – have averaged less possession than West Ham (48 per cent) this term. Bilic is happy to cede control of the ball to the opposition before instructing his players to spring forward when it changes hands, something that makes them extremely dangerous to play against.
It is also the primary reason for West Ham’s difficulties against the likes of Bournemouth and Leicester, fixtures in which they were forced to try and break down a deep defensive unit rather than attack the space left behind by a team who pushes up the pitch and looks to dominate possession.
The most pleasing thing for Bilic, however, must be the amount of options at his disposal, something that should theoretically give West Ham the chance to play in different ways as the season progresses.
The recent return to fitness of targetman Andy Carroll, for example, has allowed Bilic to change his approach during matches: the 6ft 4ins striker made the difference after coming off the bench against Palace two weeks ago and Chelsea on Saturday, with West Ham opting to play longer balls in his direction.
Going forward, they can also call upon the speed and skill of Victor Moses, the creativity of Manuel Lanzini and Mauro Zarate, the guile and trickery of Dimitri Payet and Diafra Sakho, one of the league’s most all-round central strikers.
In midfield, the powerful and athletic Cheikhou Kouyate is an excellent foil for Mark Noble’s tidy passing. Ryan Cresswell and Carl Jenkinson provide quality at full-back, meanwhile, and Winston Reid, James Collins, James Tomkins and Angelo Ogbonna represents an excellent pool of centre-halves.
West Ham’s strength in depth is such that the likes of Alex Song, Enner Valencia and Michail Antonio have not yet started a game this season.
Despite all that, a place in the top four remains highly unlikely, even with Chelsea in crisis and Liverpool continuing to struggle.
For now, though, Bilic and his charges can simply enjoy their lofty league position. With the table starting to take shape after 10 matches, West Ham fans will relish what they see.
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