December 2023 – Page 2 – Under The Hammers

It seems particularly cruel for fans who have had to put up with Thursday-Sunday football due to the scheduling of European matches to suffer the same fate in a rare midweek set of Premier League fixtures. The manager will now be in two minds whether the long trip to N17 can be used as an excuse for a poor performance at Fulham next Sunday.

The opening instalment of the London trilogy was an unspectacular draw with Crystal Palace on Sunday afternoon. On a day of thrilling, high-scoring fixtures whoever picked the game between the league’s two most boring sides for live TV won’t be getting a Christmas bonus this year. It must be close to the point where TV executives will do anything possible to avoid broadcasting a West Ham game. The biggest post-match talking point was whether dishwater or ditchwater was the correct way to describe the level of dullness.

The quality and incisiveness of the Hammer’s goal was teasingly out of keeping with anything that came after it. A delightful pass from James Ward-Prowse to Vladimir Coufal on the right wing, the Czech laying a precise ball into the path of Mohammed Kudus who swept the ball into the net. If anyone had hoped that the goal would prompt an attacking masterclass, they were to be sadly disappointed. True to form the tactics reverted to game management mode. The visitors were equally inept but were able to rely on West Ham’s habit of falling asleep in the minutes immediately after the motivational half-time team talk. The culprit on this occasion was Konstantinos Mavropanos whose inexplicable attempt at a blind pass close to his own goal set up the equaliser. Nothing of real significance happened in the time remaining and the Premier League’s two oldest managers could go home happy with the point they had each saved.

It has become increasingly difficult not to covet your neighbour’s football philosophy. There has often been solace in the fact that whatever blunders and disappointments occurred at West Ham, Tottenham would invariably go one better. Their perennial ability to stumble at the vital moment just as their fans were on the cusp of celebration was a seasonal delight. Having missed out on European qualification and then losing their talisman striker to Bayern Munich, everything pointed to a season of struggle for Spurs. But the appointment of Ange Postecoglou has been a breath of fresh air for a club bogged down by a run of negatively minded managers that followed the sacking of Pochettino.

It’s not that Tottenham are realistic title contenders, despite their fine start, but they are playing football in a way that excites supporters – gets them off their seats and looking forward to the next game. Having the mindset that allows them to go to Manchester City and give it a go right until the end is a wonder we can only dream of. It is painful to have to say this in the light of the dross we have to sit through each week.

There is a real danger West Ham will be annihilated on Thursday night, just as they did in the equivalent type of game at Villa Park. They will struggle to cope with the speed and variety of the home attacks and while Tottenham high defensive line can look vulnerable, it is unlikely that the Hammers will be set up to exploit it. It is suggested that the form book is often ripped to pieces in local derbies but recent history offers little encouragement.

Since David Moyes return to West Ham at the end of December 2019, the Hammers London derby record is less than impressive. They have won 10 and lost 19 of 38 Premier League matches against London rivals. Away from home, they have won just three (lost 14) out of 19. In 14 away visits to Arsenal, Chelsea, and Tottenham they have earned only a single point – the 3-3 draw at Tottenham in October 2020.

In the absence of any recent fond memories, we should spend a few moments reminiscing about historic away wins at Spurs – I counted five since the start of the Premier League: a 4-1 win in April 1994, Steve Jones scoring the first, two from Trevor Morley and one from Mike Marsh; Dani heading home the only goal of the game in February 1996; Ian Wright and Mark Keller scoring (and an old school red card for John Moncur) in April 1999 to secure a fine 2-1 win; the Ravel Morrison inspired 3-0 rout in October 2013 with goals from Winston Reid, Ricardo Vaz Te, and Morrison; and finally Michail Antonio scoring the first goal by an opposition player in April 2019 at Tottenham’s new stadium to record a 1-0 victory.

Trying to find positives from the current situation at West Ham is not easy. OK, so there is not going to be a relegation battle but then pushing for European qualification is equally improbable. Without an acceptable level of entertainment on the pitch, the obvious question is what is the point? There is zero chance of Moyes making meaningful changes to his playing style. The gap between his overly cautious safety-first approach and the expansive, passing game fans want to see cannot be bridged by a few tweaks. It requires a whole new footballing philosophy. Moyes could no more change that than the other defensively minded coaches who went before him.

But even looking at his preferred group of players, Moyes has clear structural problems fitting them into his favoured 4-2-3-1 formation. The long-term striker problem is well known and has been well documented. Perhaps it will be addressed in January but don’t hold your breath. In the interim Jarrod Bowen may be the best bet to fill the gap – but can anyone make a success of the role when the front man is so isolated from the rest of the team?

In getting the right level of support to the striker and being able to play creatively through the midfield has obvious shortcomings. It can be argued that Edson Alvarez deserves his place for his defensive cover, JWP for his set piece deliveries, and Tomas Soucek for his goals from midfield. But their combined overall contribution in possession is below average – and less than the sum of their parts. A high performing team wanting to move the ball quickly and decisively cannot carry all three. It also forces Lucas Paqueta to be parked out on the left wing when it is obvious he would be more effective deployed centrally. But then what is the alternative option on the left hand side apart from the repeatedly disappointing Said Benrahma – a player who has seemingly completely lost his mojo.

The performances of Kudus have been encouraging so far, but where is his best position? And how does he fit in with Bowen and Paqueta assuming the striker shortfall is addressed. That’s potentially a lot of attacking talent available but how do they slot together in the same side? Does anyone have a plan to match the players available and the manager’s formation?

There are very few straws to be clutched at for tomorrow’s game. With the home side’s newfound verve it is hard not to look at the game with trepidation. I fear a sound thrashing but will nevertheless hope that something unexpected can happen. COYI!

Looking through a very distant lens you might conclude that West Ham and their supporters are enjoying a decent season. In the top half of the Premier League, into the 5^th round of the EFL Cup, looking for a fifth consecutive victory in all competitions, qualified from their Europa League group with a game to go, and apparently second only to Real Madrid in the number of European victories over the last two season. But the reality is very different.

It is a rosy picture painted from carefully selected data. And is surely only a perspective shared by pundits and others whose only exposure is watching highlights or checking the results – but who rarely sit through a whole 90 minutes. Is it possible that anyone who regularly watches West Ham games intently finds the football served up to be enjoyable? That scraping home against teams you are expected to beat is enough to excuse the negative approach shown in every game? Isn’t there a responsibility to entertain in return for the devotion.

I have read in previews for today’s game that the Hammers recent form is impressive. But do those last four performances against Olympiacos, Nottingham Forest, Burnley, and Backa Topola deserve to be represented as good form? Games where the manager trots out the inevitable “we didn’t play as well as we would have liked” in the post-match interview. Well, why was that, David?

Has there been any match this year where West Ham have dominated throughout 90 minutes? If they manage to get ahead, it is a case of shutting up shop in the interests of management. Otherwise, it seems the team has little attacking ambition until they fall a goal behind and there is ten minutes remaining. As supporters, we spend the whole week looking forward to games and this is what we get for our patience!

The last three victories have all arrived in the closing minutes courtesy of goals from Tomas Soucek and his whirling dervish goal celebration. It is great that Soucek has started to score again and there is a delicious irony in David Moyes comment that Soucek’s goal contribution was adversely affected by the role given to Declan Rice. If only there was someone tactically aware in the manager’s seat who could have spotted that during those last two seasons.

Last weekend’s game at Burnley showed how much the current system relies on Jarrod Bowen as an attacking threat and outlet. Without him there is no movement and no penetration. It is painful to watch Danny Ings these days regardless of whether it’s the system or his legs that are letting him down. At least the introduction of Divin Mubama injected some much needed energy that was instrumental in fashioning the equalising goal. It is early days for the youngster, but it looks like his close control needs to improve if he is going to be effective at the top level. His lack of game time plus the fact that the successful Hammers youth side he comes from play a totally different system, cannot have helped his development.

Ultimately, the West Ham fight back at Turf Moor was inspired by Mohammed Kudus. Kudus still needs time to fully adapt to the Premier League, but he is making useful contributions, even if he does tend to drift out of games for lengthy periods. The quirk of the assist rule that he did not get credit for the first goal is peculiar.

Without something drastic happening in the January transfer window – I am resigned to Moyes staying until the end of the season – West Ham’s current 9^th place looks to be as good as it can possibly get. There is little chance of catching any of the clubs above us, and a good chance that one or two below will put good runs together. Any hopes of further European qualification from league position are a very long shot indeed. Equally, the odds of winning the Europa League are increasingly small with the likes of Liverpool, Brighton, and Leverkusen already in the draw – and the possibility of clubs such as Manchester United, Newcastle or PSG joining them. The three year run of Euro campaigns appears to be hitting the buffers and without that the club becomes a less desirable destination.

The immediate Euro challenge is to top the group and avoid an extra qualifying round in February. No prizes for guessing how we might approach the game against Freiburg where the sole objective is to avoid defeat.

All fingers are firmly crossed that Bowen will return to lead the attack for today’s game against Crystal Palace. Apart from that we should expect no deviation away from Moyes preferred starting eleven – unless reports of sickness in the camp dictate otherwise. None of the fringe players who were given a run out against Topola made a strong argument for a Premier League return and the likes of Aaron Cresswell, Ben Johnson, Pablo Fornals and Said Benrahma are now designated as ‘for emergency use only’. If Bowen is absent, the manager will be faced with an Ings versus Mubama conundrum – with Moyes almost certainly opting for Ings.

Of course, there is always an outside chance for a rare sighting of the lesser spotted Maxwell Cornet. Cornet has seen just one minute of Premier League action this term to add to his 245 minutes from last season. Since his signing from Burnley on a five year contract in the summer of 2022 he has played fewer minutes than the equivalent of three full games. As one of the small number of players in the squad with genuine pace it is an odd situation.

Visitors, Crystal Palace have won just two of their last ten games before today. In all they have won just four times this season, three of which were away from home at Sheffield United, Manchester United and Burnley. There last two outings ended in defeats to Everton and Luton. Only Sheffield United have scored fewer goals than them in league games. Palace have also won just two of their last 16 London derbies, although both of those were against the Hammers. The Eagles triumphing 2-1 at the London Stadium last November and 4-3 at Selhurst Park in April.

This season’s campaign has been hampered by long-term absences of their two flair players, Eze and Olise. Both played last weekend, but Eze limped off last week and will probably miss today’s game and the opportunity to dive around in the penalty area. Olise is a fine player and will make it an uncomfortable afternoon for Emerson. We should also look out for the always snarling Ayew who regularly saves his better performances for games against West Ham.

Sunday afternoon following the Thursday before rarely proves to be to the Hammers liking and hopes are not high for a barnstorming affair. In theory West Ham have the stronger side but how that materialises under the manager’s cautious tactics is the cause of much agonising. It’s not going to be a thriller and may well be settled by an individual moment of brilliance from one team or the other. COYI!