West Ham United have had a miserable 2019-20 season, and not much has changed since David Moyes was appointed manager some time ago.
The Hammers’ season began with a defeat to defending champions Manchester City, but they bounced back and went on a six-match undefeated run.
But, things have looked bleak since then as they have dropped to the relegation zone and are in a battle to stay in the Premier League.
There have been off-field issues at the London club in recent weeks, while their form on-field has not improved as well.
Where have West Ham gone wrong this season? Let’s take a look at 3 reasons why West Ham have been poor this season:
#3 Lack of a potent goalscorer
When West Ham United signed Sebastien Haller from Eintracht Frankfurt in the summer, many fans felt that he was the goalscorer that could fire them to a European place for next season. How wrong they were!
The Frenchman has scored just six times in 24 appearances and is the side’s top scorer, which is not good enough for a team in the Premier League.
The Hammers don’t have any other striker in the squad, as they let go of Marko Arnautovic, Javier Hernandez, Lucas Perez, and Andy Carroll ahead of the 2019-20 season.
While none of them, barring Arnautovic, had much of an impact in recent seasons, it would have at least given the manager more options to choose from, or even try a different set-up.
They have, sort of, remedied that situation in the January transfer window by signing Jarrod Bowen from Hull City, but it remains to be seen how well he will perform.
#2 Silly defensive mistakes
The Hammers have made far too many defensive mistakes this season and have the fourth worst defensive record in the Premier League this season.
Their recent defensive collapse came in matchweek 25 when they surrendered a 3-1 lead against Brighton, by committing some glaring defensive mistakes.
Pablo Zabaleta is way past his best, while Arthur Masuaku and Fabian Balbuena have been poor as well. Issa Diop – who had a strong first season in the league – has had a very average season as well.
The injury to Lukasz Fabianski further worsened the situation as back-up goalkeeper Roberto was awful, while David Martin was a little better.
#3 Porous and inconsistent midfield
Captain Mark Noble, who has been an important fabric of the club for over a decade, was a disconsolate figure following the Hammers’ FA Cup loss to West Brom, where he publicly berated his teammates. He said that the team should not rely on him to come off the bench to change the game around in the team’s favour.
Noble is right in this regard. The Hammers hardly have any options or quality in the middle of the park apart from Declan Rice.
Jack Wilshere has been out due to injury for the majority of the season while Carlos Sanchez has been shockingly bad.
Manuel Lanzini has not been able to hit his past form, while new signing Pablo Fornals has been average, at best. West Ham need a Mark Noble-like player in the middle of the park, who can fight, scrap, and lead the team.
The current Hammers midfield lacks invention, drive, and leadership, which is vital for any team to stay in the Premier League. Tomas Soucek showed he can perhaps add a bit of dynamism, but they need more players to step up.
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