OPINION
Nothing seems to be going right for West Ham United at this moment in time.
The Hammers welcomed Newcastle United to the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon having not won a single game in September.
It was the perfect opportunity for West Ham to get three points on the board but what happened next was not good enough against a side that had not scored more than one goal in a single game so far this season.
Newcastle won 3-2 in the end, but in all honesty, it could and probably should have been many more for the Magpies, with West Ham’s defence nowhere near good enough.
The Hammers had no answers for the pace of their opponents, and the decision from Manuel Pellegrini to name an unchanged side massively backfired.
Arthur Masuaku was nowhere to be seen once again in the matchday squad, something that just doesn’t make sense given the dip in form for Aaron Cresswell.
The English full-back has not been good enough, and the fact that he scored twice earlier in September now has no say on whether or not he should keep his place.
It is his main job to defend, and once again he was nowhere near effective enough against Miguel Almiron, who tormented him for the majority of the game.
It is definitely time for Masuaku to return next time out for West Ham, and Cresswell can have no complaints after a month of poor performances in the capital.
The African defender was unlucky to even lose his spot in the side after picking up two questionable yellow cards which saw him sent off in the 0-0 draw against Aston Villa earlier in the season.
Masuaku was one of the standout performers in defence before his absence, averaging 3.6 tackles per game according to WhoScored – the most in the entire squad.
The 25-year-old will surely have been left scratching his head after missing out from the squad for the Newcastle clash, and he must return as soon as possible.
