Opinion from the stands

This is West Ham’s biggest problem so far

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One thing that was glaringly obvious against Bournemouth, other than the dismal defensive display, was the real lack of width in the side. In the first half, all the play was incredibly narrow with balls often forced in to Payet, making it very easy for the Bournemouth defence to crowd out the Frenchman.

It has become increasingly clear that Noble and Kouyate are not entirely comfortable when they are pushed out wider in order to create width. Last season, Jenkinson and Cresswell were instrumental in providing an option on the flanks but they have not started the season well. As a result, the lack of a presence on the wings is suddenly becoming a real cause for concern.

It looks as if Bilic likes to operate with one striker up front, supported by a creative plethora of midfielders behind him. When Zarate was playing, he was not Sakho’s strike partner. Instead, there was more of a partnership with Payet as the two forwards would often rotate to find space in free areas. Although this is a nice idea, there just is not enough service into Sakho at the moment. The striker has had five shots in the area so far this season and the only one that was seemed like an excellent chance was the effort against Leicester that was well saved by Kasper Schmeichel. It’s clear to see that Sakho needs to be the spearhead of the attack and he needs more service. The best way of achieving this is to get proper wide players.

When Bilic was at Besiktas, the likes of Gokhan Tore and Olcay Sahan provided pace and creativity out wide as the Turkish side played an effective 4-2-3-1 formation. Demba Ba led that attack and thrived off the delivery into the box by the wide men. Diafra Sakho is a striker that feeds off good delivery into the box and many of his goals last season were from crosses. The likes of Jarvis and Lanzini can perform wide roles but these options are not enough for the Hammers at the moment.

Players such as Victor Moses and Adnan Januzaj, both linked with the club in recent days, are excellent options if West Ham are looking to improve. More threat out wide will create space in the middle, giving Payet more time on the ball to make things happen. The current diamond formation will probably work better away from home as there are more numbers in midfield. However, the Hammers have failed to properly break down teams in the opening home fixtures and it looks as if a lack of width could be the fundamental issue.

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Moses is the latest name linked with a switch to Upton Park

Despite the poor result on Saturday, there is still more than enough time to fix things and with players expected to return sooner rather than later, the Hammers will start picking up points again soon. If a central midfielder, a striker and at least one wide player is signed before the end of the window, it’s a job well done. Let’s just hope the club can get hold of decent targets rather than turning to options that might be second-rate.

Where does the problem lie for the Hammers? Do we need wingers more than a striker? Comment below

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2 comments

  • JB says:

    Well the squad is definitely there, with the exceptions of Noble, Nolan & O’Brien we have players that other clubs would die for, does Bilic know how to play this multi million pounds squad, and yes, with Zarate & Valencia out, Maiga, for the time being, is Sakho’s first choice as back up for up front. What is it that Bilic has against Amalfitano? And why is our hammer of the year, Aaron Cresswell, all of a sudden playing so ever so badly? With Carroll returning soon, this squad is definitely capable of achieving a top 6 finish. On another point, as most are aware, our barren run of being winless at Anfield has to end sometime, yes 52 years since Hurst & Peters scored in a 2-1 win at Liverpool FC is a flipping long time and I am sure that all Liverpool fans must be expecting West Ham’s barren run to end there sometime, so why cannot this winless run end this Saturday? Of all the squads that West Ham have assembled together at Anfield since Hurst and Peters did the job, is no one saying we hadn’t had & don’t have the players to match that feat? Other small clubs have been undaunted and won there, we are no longer a small club, so why not us. Come on Bilic & West Ham, get it together as with all of our new signings, we definitely have the squad. Now do it on Saturday and start storming up the league, where we belong. We’ll have one of the biggest stadiums in the country to play in soon, so lets back that status up NOW!!!

    • JB says:

      Besides, how can Bilic f***ing well sell Maiga? He’s the only fit striker we have at the moment as back up to Sakho, and even Sakho isn’t at his best with the worry of potential criminal charges hanging over him? Where are your heads at West Ham? You can’t sell Maiga until you have signed another striker!!!

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