Sat 15th in the Premier League table, just three points above the relegation zone with Leicester City still to play this evening, West Ham will have seen the draw at the weekend with Burnley as two points dropped given the circumstances of the match.
The Hammers led for the majority of the game until Chris Wood’s late equaliser for the hosts, who continued their fantastic start to the new Premier League season, and it was a gutting blow for a West Ham side who spent the majority of the match with ten men.
Andy Carroll was dismissed in the first-half for stupidly picking up two bookings in the space of two minutes, earning criticism from fans, team-mates, his manager and pundits, with the 28-year-old striker now suspended for this weekend’s crucial hosting of Brighton.
Whilst it may seem a bitter blow, the absence of Andy Carroll may be a blessing in disguise as it should result in the Hammers playing with the ball on the floor a lot more- a tactic that should see the likes of Manuel Lanzini, Michail Antonio and, crucially, Javier Hernandez thrive.
Carroll has been a mainstay in West Ham’s side this season, starting four matches and making a further appearance as a substitute, but he’s failed to register a single goal or an assist this season- which has led to questions as to why Carroll is in the side.
Playing him as a strike partner for Javier Hernandez has not worked and Slaven Bilic must change formation this weekend, with the Mexican forward leading the line with support from Manuel Lanzini behind him, Antonio on the right and Marko Arnautovic on the left.
That would see the Hammers get the best out of their attacking players, whilst allowing a shaky defensive line to have support in the form of two deep-lying midfielders; likely to be Mark Noble and Pedro Obiang.
The back four would be protected, West Ham would have a formation where they can get the best out of their attackers and could provide something a little different rather than pumping long balls forward and crosses into the box for Carroll to largely do nothing with.
West Ham have struggled to find their identity since moving to the London Stadium but have made some big changes to push forward, shown by their transfers this summer, but Carroll has been holding them back- with the striker representing the ‘old’ West Ham more than he does the new one.
