#106 Old Habits Die Hard

#106 Old Habits Die Hard

From The West Ham Breakdown by Jack Elderton

February 3, 2026 · 1h 9m · Season 3 · Episode 27

About this episode

Jack and Cal analyze West Ham's 3-2 defeat to Chelsea, discussing tactics, player performances, and key moments from the match.

Unearth the hidden gems of the beer world and claim your free case here: www.beer52.com/ANALYTICS This week on The West Ham Breakdown, Jack and Cal dissect a gutting 3-2 defeat for West Ham against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, despite dominating for the opening 50 minutes of the game. We break down how Aaron Wan-Bissaka neutralised Garnacho and how the specific roles of Hato and Gusto allowed the Hammers to funnel the game exactly where they wanted it. However, we debate whether the second-half collapse was a simple failure of mentality or if Chelsea’s substitutions exposed a fundamental gap in squad depth. We debate the tactical changes that forced West Ham back, investigating why Nuno Espirito Santo sacrificed transitional threat to survive a 3-1-6 onslaught. The episode explores the merits of a 5-2-3 setup to protect the last line, questioning if we were destined to buckle under the pressure of seven men crashing the box. Finally, we tackle the goals and refereeing flashpoints, from the Jean-Clair Todibo red card to the Jarrod Bowen penalty shout. Please do leave us a review and subscribe to the podcast to catch every episode. Join us on Patreon…

People in this episode

Host: Jack Elderton

Guest: Cal

Topics covered

  • West Ham
  • Chelsea
  • football tactics
  • match analysis
  • refereeing decisions
  • squad depth

Keywords

  • West Ham
  • Chelsea
  • football
  • tactics
  • match analysis
  • refereeing
  • squad depth
  • Aaron Wan-Bissaka
  • Nuno Espirito Santo

Sponsors

Beer52

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Chelsea, West Ham, Patreon

More episodes of The West Ham Breakdown

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the The West Ham Breakdown podcast page.