West Ham’s European campaign officially came to an end after an impressive, yet emotional game against Leverkusen. As my first game back at the stadium, I was surprisingly nervous to return for such a huge fixture, but I still had the belief that an early goal could change things.
And that it did. Our opening goal saw the stadium erupt as we put in the most impressive performance I’ve ever seen, particularly against such a difficult side. It was even more noticeable in contrast to our recent performances, seeing us keep pressure on throughout.
The atmosphere was unbelievable, with every fan standing for the full game and the noisiest I’ve ever heard the stadium – even louder than the Sevilla game, which is saying something. Unfortunately after the first leg, we had left ourselves that bit too much to do against such a challenging side, but we did ourselves proud at home, putting in one monumental shift to give Leverkusen a game.
It was a real shame, as conceding two goals so late in the first leg felt like a waste given how we’d manage to defend against continuous attacks. That said, Leverkusen love a late goal and made no exceptions against us. After dropping out of the Europa League, a video circulated of a fan saying that their nan could have won the Conference League and it got me thinking; Do we underestimate the difficulty of playing consistently well in Europe?
In my opinion, winning the Conference League was the greatest moment I’ve experienced as a West Ham fan. The quality of the Conference League sides may not be as impressive as those in the Europa League, or Champions League, but nonetheless, it’s not easy at all and is something that shouldn’t be taken for granted.
You only have to look at the calibre of English sides that have been clinging on to try and have some shot at European football next season, including the likes of Chelsea and Manchester United, to realise that even the Conference League can have some difficult sides to beat. And while the Conference League has gained criticism, I’m grateful for the journey we had and the opportunity to win it.
I also don’t think it was a walk in the park by any means. You can only beat the teams you’re put up against, and as we know, just because a side isn’t as highly ranked as some, it means absolutely nothing if they turn up on the day and you don’t. You only have to look at the league game against Palace for the perfect example of this, or the fact that we almost ended Leverkusen’s 43 game unbeaten streak. Every game is a free hit.
Given the quality of many teams in the Premier League, it’s often expected that they’ll go far in European competitions. But there’s no denying that regardless of how good a team is, no European run is easy.
We’ve seen all English sides aside from Villa get knocked out of the Champions League and Europa League in the quarter finals, showing that absolutely anything can happen in football. Liverpool’s loss to Atalanta was a prime example of a team losing that ‘should’ win. This is why you can’t take any game as a given, with them trying to come back from 3-0 down in the first leg.
City going out to Real Madrid on penalties was unfortunate, but was always going to be difficult considering Real Madrid’s knack of doing well in the Champions League. Arsenal losing away to Bayern was another outcome that wasn’t completely unexpected, but you just never know until the full time whistle.
For me, this is why European football is so exciting. Any team that’s fought their way into the European spots has the ability to upset another team, regardless of which league they’re from, or where they finished in the table. And if we don’t manage to get European football through league position, this is one of the things I’ll miss greatly. The opportunity to have incredible away days around Europe, play top sides and soak up the atmosphere.
What a journey Europe has been for West Ham, and one that I hope will continue next season. If we fail to qualify this season, it’ll no doubt be an uphill battle to get the chance again.
But there’s one thing I won’t take for granted and that’s the opportunity to enjoy everything we’ve experienced over the last three seasons. What a few years it’s been!
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