West Ham were expected to make a big splash this season. After four matches, they are anchored to the bottom of the table with zero points.
Despite this the new signings look to be good moves for the Hammers. Felipe Anderson looks to be the creative spark West Ham need with the absence of Manuel Lanzini. Lanzini will be out for the season after picking up a major injury just before the world cup while on Argentina duty.
Ryan Fredricks seems to be a good player that as picked up for free from Fulham. His pace is electrifying and his defensive work hasn’t been terrible. Issa Diop and Fabián Balbuena have been mostly solid excluding a horror show from Diop while away at Arsenal.
Andriy Yarmolenko has been decent in the patches he has played but his lack of match fitness has seen him on the bench in all four league games so far.
Yet even with these additions, West Ham have been lacklustre and disappointing. Why?
I’ll tell you why: lazy and complacent players.
Players that in the past have been some of West Ham’s best such as Aaron Cresswell and Michail Antonio have started the season looking like they have no passion and no ambition.
Cresswell had been kept out of the team due to poor performances at the end of last year but after three games and a small Masuaku injury, Manuel Pellegrini decided to play the Englishman in their latest match, at home against newly promoted Wolverhampton.
Can Jack Wilshere and Felipe Anderson help West Ham become a contender? (Photo: Arfra Griffiths/Getty Images)
Wolves have quite a good team for a newly promoted side but Cresswell is an experienced left back with good matches against some of the best wingers in the world.
Helder Costa started on the right wing for Wolves and Cresswell seemed to have no problems with the tricky winger in the first half. Then the second half came, and with the second half came a man named Adama Traore, a small yet extremely strong and quick winger.
Traore gave Cresswell hell for the remaining 30 minutes until Traore burst forward from deep and slotted home the maiden goal of the game. “Where was Cresswell?” You may ask. He was lagging 10 yards behind after failing to trip Traore up, with no intention of getting the ball.
Two losses away to Liverpool and Arsenal are expected, but the lack of effort is what really hurts the West Ham faithful. Losses at home to Bournemouth and Wolves are not acceptable. If this team wants to avoid relegation they really need to be beating these teams at the London Stadium.
West Ham’s next five fixtures will not give the fans hope either with the team possibly not getting a win until November.
West Ham’s next five:
Everton (A)
Chelsea (H)
Man Utd (H)
Brighton (A)
Tottenham (H)
If West Ham cannot pick up a difficult win in these next five games things could be looking real bleak in East London. December will be West Ham’s most important month however, seven games in a very compact fixture, all against mid-table level teams.
West Ham in December:
Newcastle (A)
Cardiff (H)
Crystal Palace (H)
Fulham (A)
Watford (H)
Southampton (A)
Burnley (A)
Fans will expect wins from all three home games and possibly two more as they will need to find form after such a difficult start. If the Irons do not perform in December, it could spell trouble soon.
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