The Hammers fast start to the Premier League season encountered its predictable stumble with consecutive defeats at home to Manchester City and away at Anfield. Although both performances had their creditable moments, the disappointing outcome of these games is invariably inevitable. Advantages are not pressed home and as the minutes tick away, legs tire, enterprise and belief fade, and it becomes a case of hanging on for dear life. Sadly, the more accomplished teams – as were the last two opponents – refuse to cooperate, typically underlining their superiority and confidence with a flurry of late goals.
Midweek action saw another victory for a West Ham second string XI when making heavy work of overcoming League One Lincoln City in the EFL Cup. The early rounds of this competition tend to have a phoney-war air about them. Premier League managers attempting to make it through to the business end of the competition while using as many fringe players as possible. In this context, it was job done at Sincil Bank and sets up an intriguing fourth round home encounter with Arsenal at the end of the month. After that, the numbers are down to eight teams and Wembley’s arch is firmly in sight.
This afternoon, West Ham return to league action with the visit of newly promoted Sheffield United. In my more pessimistic moments, I had identified this game as a first win of the season for the Hammers. But it now represents a potential opportunity to return to the top six – or at least to keep in touch with the chasing pack.
Last week’s events when the Blades were thrashed 8-0 at home by Newcastle has now put a very different complexion on the game. A side who had been leading Tottenham at the end of normal time the week before, were comprehensively demolished in front of their own supporters – largely the result of defensive incompetence of the highest order. The circumstances of that humiliation is sure to influence their approach to today’s fixture.
The Blades manager, Paul Heckingbottom – a man with the most northern sounding name ever – was given a vote of confidence by the club’s Saudi owner in the week and will understandably be cautious to avoid any repetitions in the coming games. Failure might cost him an arm and a leg. And it left me wondering how other clubs had fared in the aftermath of equivalent sound thrashings.
When Southampton were defeated 9-0 at home to Leicester in 2019/20 they managed to pull their socks up the following week but still lost by the odd goal in three on a visit to Manchester City. A year later, the Saints followed up a 9-0 thrashing at Old Trafford with a 3-2 defeat at Newcastle while last season, when Bournemouth went down by the same score at Liverpool, they recovered a modicum of respect with a goalless draw at home to Wolves. Closer to home, the week after losing 8-0 to West Ham at Upton Park in 1968/69, Sunderland bounced back a week later with a 3-0 home win over Coventry. If history teaches us anything it is that defeated sides will double down on their resilience – a flash of legendary Sheffield steel perhaps?
It is pointless to spend too much time in West Ham previews speculating on what changes David Moyes might make to tactics or personnel – unless it has been forced upon him by injury or suspension. You get the impression that changing the colour of his socks would be a revolutionary move for the Scot. But this is the kind of game that cries out for a change of approach.
Games where we would expect to see far more of the ball than usual, do not suit Michail Antonio’s bullying, barnstorming style of forward play – as we saw at Luton . It simply doesn’t work against opponents playing with packed or compact backlines, as we are likely to see today. When the challenge is to unlock a deep lying defence, then moving Jarrod Bowen into the middle with Mohammed Kudus replacing him wide right makes a lot more sense. A fluid attacking midfield three – supporting Bowen – comprising Kudus, Lucas Paqueta and James Ward-Prowse should pose plenty of problems to a defence short on confidence after their last outing.
The season so far has witnessed something of a renaissance for Thomas Soucek, a player who had been written off as a one-season wonder by a large section of the Hammer’s support. Whether it has been the departure of Rice or the arrival of Edson Alvarez that has allowed his game to focus back on his strengths is impossible to tell – but there is an obvious improvement in his demeanour. Time now to add league goals to those he has bagged in cup competitions.
In the defence, time must surely be running out before Nayef Aguerd is given a spell on the bench. High profile mistakes in both the Manchester City and Liverpool games has put his starting position in doubt now that Konstantinos Mavropanos has games under his belt. Moyes now has more options available and it is time he started using them – both in varying the starting eleven and making timely and effective substitutions. My preferred lineup would be: Areola, Coufal, Zouma, Mavropanos, Emerson, Alvarez, Soucek, Kudus, Ward-Prowse, Paqueta, Bowen.
If West Ham are to make any serious attempt to challenge the top six to eight, then this is a game they simply have to win. As they say, no game is ever easy in the league but playing at home against a dispirited opponent with just a single point to show for their efforts so far, is about as straightforward as they get. It will mean putting them under pressure from the first whistle and preventing them playing out from the back. An early goal and sustained pressure should make it a very uncomfortable afternoon for the visitors. West Ham to win 3-0. COYI!
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