3 things Bilic’s West Ham must improve ahead of the run in

Becoming defensively solid

There has been a slight improvement in West Ham’s defensive capabilities in the last month or so, but they still need to tighten up more if they want to be challenging for Europe.

Bilic’s side have conceded 43 goals this term, which is more than any side in the top 12 of the Premier League, and is a better defensive record than just four other sides, three of which are in the bottom three.

They have kept just one clean sheet in their last nine matches, and despite the arrival of Southampton captain Jose Fonte in January, you still sense that they can be got at, especially in the wide areas, with Cheikhou Kouyate not an out-and-out right-back, and Aaron Cresswell not quite hitting the heights in recent times.

Clearly, they have the potential to be a very difficult side to beat, and that’s something they need to be between now and May to put pressure on the teams above them in the table.