OPINION
West Ham United’s bubble was well and truly burst by Bournemouth on Saturday, as the Hammers fell to a 2-0 defeat at the Vitality Stadium.
Manuel Pellegrini’s side came into the game riding high off a victory over London rivals Arsenal last weekend. However, goals from Callum Wilson and Josh King brought them back to reality.
The former Manchester City boss would have been extremely frustrated with what he saw from his side, with barely any Hammers players performing to their true capabilities.
As usual there is much to be gleaned from the contest, and Forever West Ham has rounded up three things that can be learned from West Ham’s defeat to Bournemouth.
Diop produces second half horror show
West Ham defender Issa Diop had a pretty solid first half against the Cherries. He seemed to be his usual unflappable self and wasn’t really troubled by what the hosts threw at him.
It was a whole different story after the break, however. The Frenchman made several baffling decisions in the second half as he failed to stem the inexorable tide of Bournemouth attacks.
He dived in early in the move that led to Wilson’s opening goal, which didn’t help his team mates out, and was duly punished by the Englishman. This was, without doubt, the 22-year-old worst performance for the club.
Cresswell brought back down to earth
Left back Aaron Cresswell was one of West Ham’s finest performers over the festive period. He ended any questions about who should be the starter at his position by producing a string of solid displays at the back.
That certainly wasn’t the case on Saturday. The Cherries targeted him early and often and he really struggled to cope with the pace of Nathaniel Clyne and the guile of David Brooks.
He remains a superior option to the hapless Arthur Masuaku, no one’s disputing that; but this was a dispiriting fall from grace for a man who had shut a lot of people up in East London in recent weeks.
Nasri anonymous
After midfielder Samir Nasri’s first two performances for the Hammers, against Birmingham City and Arsenal, supporters could have been forgiven for getting carried away with the returning Frenchman.
Bournemouth certainly weren’t buying into the hype, though, as they took the wind from Nasri’s sails and rendered him anonymous at the Vitality. The former Manchester City star couldn’t get anything going and barely had a sniff all game.
He had a chance after 25 minutes but steered it wide, and that was pretty much all that can be remembered from his performance. Much like the former two players, this was a harsh reality check for the 31-year-old, and he needs to improve in the coming weeks.
