OPINION
So far in this new Premier League season, West Ham United striker Marko Arnautovic has been the only player to net for his club despite the four defeats that have been inflicted.
None of his other teammates have managed to find the net during all four clashes, which is a worrying prospect seeming as the Hammers splashed out £100 million this summer, largely intent on improving their threat up front.
This has not happened and it is pivotal that things start to change soon, or else they will find themselves in a relegation fight that they spent so much to avoid.
One of the problems lays with Arnautovic, who has started all of the Irons’ matches so far – however, he is being left too isolated up front, which has resulted in a limited attacking threat.
The 6ft 3in [Transfermarkt] powerhouse striker should not be left with the burden of having to deliver the goods, and his teammates should be making more of an effort to share the goal scoring pressure.
The attacking trio of Felipe Anderson, Robert Snodgrass and Andriy Yarmolenko must move closer to him, otherwise the team will find themselves under too much pressure.
All three players have the capability of being able to score on a regular basis, so it is surprising that they have not been closer to the ace before in order to maximise the Irons’ attacking threat.
Arnautovic – who is on £100,000-a-week [Spotrac] – is obviously Manuel Pellegrini’s first choice striker, but that does not mean that he should be left entirely on his own up front, particularly given the state of West Ham’s result.
They currently sit rock bottom of the Premier League, and that is not going to change if the trio continue to sit back and allow the Austrian international to do all of the work.
If anything, they have been rather lazy in their approach to games – apart from Yarmolenko, who is yet to start in the league – and this must change for the sake of the team.
Once they move closer to Arnautovic, then they will soon find themselves scoring more goals on a regular basis – and see West Ham soar up the table.
