Pellegrini eyeing top half as Hammers aim to close out with a win

Manuel Pellegrini wants West Ham to finish with a flourish and set down a marker for next season.

The last day of term sees the Hammers head to Watford looking for a third straight win and a top-10 finish.

Pellegrini’s side have endured an up-and-down campaign, with notable wins over Manchester United, Tottenham and Arsenal in stark contrast to defeats by Burnley, Brighton and Cardiff.

But with a shocking injury list finally clearing up West Ham are ending the season in style with victories over Spurs and Southampton in their last two matches.

“I am happy, not only with the results but also with the way we are playing,” said Pellegrini.

“We lost to Manchester United and drew with Leicester but in both those games we also played very well.

“We continued in the same way for the next games so I hope that we will finish with a third win in a row.

“Also, with more than 50 points, that is not a bad amount considering we started the season so bad.

“Next season, if we have a normal season without so many injured players then we can be a consistent team.

“The way we have played against the big teams this season, for example, means we can improve a lot.

“We started the season with just one and a half months of pre-season and without the complete squad.

“Now after one year working, we have had an improvement and next season we must improve again.”

Watford will face Manchester City in the FA Cup final next weekend but Pellegrini does not expect Javi Gracia’s side to have one eye on Wembley.

“I don’t think they will, they have one week more and they will want to win their last game of the season at home, so nobody will be thinking about that,” he added.

“Watford have had a brilliant season. Not only with their points in the Premier League but also they are in the cup final so I think they deserve merit, the players and manager.”