3 things West Ham United must change to return to winning ways

Firstly, he has to change the system, for three games in a row he has played the same formation, which is so clearly holding the team back. In my eyes it’s a system where the opposition are allowed to have the ball in their own half and up to the last third in ours.

It then requires good defending to win the ball and attack on the counter. The problem is at the moment we are not defending as a unit and our forward play is fragmented and pedestrian. Mark Noble and Cheik Kouyate as a central defensive midfield duo doesn’t work, both are too attack minded and it leaves the Hammers back four far too exposed and it is costing us time-after-time.

ale :Mark Noble of West Ham.Photo: Mark Leech

Hammers skipper, Noble – Photo: Mark Leech / Offside.

Neither are our wide players doing their defensive duties, leaving the full backs exposed and Noble and Kouyate too much to do defensively.

Which is where the first big call needs to be made, and that would be drop his club captain Noble. It’s a risk, but Noble hasn’t looked like the player he was last year. He slows the tempo of the Irons play with his sideways and backwards passing, and when he does lose the ball he is too slow to track back and make amends.

When you have a duo like Kouyate and Noble one must sit, and one must go forward in attack, and for me, Kouyate is a more dynamic player. Therefore, whilst it may look like a risk to drop your captain it will benefit the team in the short term at least. I would bring in either Pedro Obiang or more preferably Reece Oxford with the strict instructions to just sit in front of the back four picking up the pieces before playing the ball forward to our attacking players.

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2 responses to “3 things West Ham United must change to return to winning ways”

  1. sid says:

    Oxford doesn’t have enough experience yet and it was telling and Byram isn’t good enough yet. Both of your ideas have been tried and didn’t work. Don’t give up your day job.

  2. Bubbles says:

    The first step is to get rid of Noble . He is without question the slowest and least talented player in the league .