OPINION
West Ham United boss Manuel Pellegrini was undoubtedly hoping to hit the ground running on Sunday afternoon in their season opener against Liverpool.
However, it did not go according to plan as his team suffered a heavy 4-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool at Anfield, thanks to a brace from Sadio Mane and goals from Mo Salah and Daniel Sturridge.
The Hammers’ back line was largely at fault for the number of goals conceded, mainly due to the fact that they were playing such a high line throughout the match.
Pellegrini needs to go back to the drawing board and re-think his defensive strategy in time for next Saturday’s home game against Bournemouth.
The Chilean made a major error in starting Fabian Balbuena over fellow new signing Issa Diop, but Ogbonna did not fare well in the back four either.
Their high line allowed the Reds too much space, which consequently led to their flurry of goals.
In order to prevent such a scenario happening again, Pellegrini must axe Balbuena for Diop in their match against the Cherries, as more speed is needed to cope with the fast-paced nature of games in the Premier League.
That is not to say the Paraguay international is not up to scratch – he probably needs time to adjust to the style of the top-flight.
Diop is younger and more capable of coping with such intense games – and Pellegrini cannot afford to be conceding large numbers of goals regularly.
The Hammers’ weaknesses were there for everyone to see on Sunday and they must be sorted imminently by sidelining the weakest link in the shape of the 26-year-old.
The likes of Felipe Anderson were overshadowed by the defence’s woeful showing, and this will eventually prove costly if Pellegrini does not step in.
