West Ham United August-September Progress Report

The stats are not terribly encouraging for West Ham United but perhaps it’s wise not to read too much into them. Amongst the ‘doom’ and ‘gloom’ there has been progress which the West Ham team can build on. The attacking element of their game seems more varied and dynamic, the all round team play appears to be developing and the new signings have added a depth to the squad that they didn’t possess last season.

If we compare this season’s start with last season’s one there is one similarity and a couple of marked differences.

This season, they haven’t been able to keep the ball out of their net but going forward they’ve been far more threatening. On the face of it West Ham’s attempts to implement a new attacking style seem to be working upfront but at the expense of leaving themselves more exposed at the back.

Sam Allardyce admitted as much stating “attractive football is OK, but you need to have that defensive unit too.” One suspects that Allardyce would have been more than happy to see West Ham scoring fewer goals in exchange for more clean sheets.

The performance in the opening game against Spurs demonstrated that a more enterprising style had been adopted even if Allardyce curiously opted to start with Carlton Cole up front ahead of his newer attacking recruits. Things could have been so different had Mark Noble converted his spot kick but even so West Ham should have made more of their man advantage after Kyle Naughton was sent off on the half hour mark. In the end they only mustered four shots on goal and were sucker punched right at the end when Eric Dier scored a last minute winner.

The game against (a then manager-less) Crystal Palace was far more positive and displayed how varied their attacking options can be. Mauro Zárate scored an absolute peach of a goal, Stewart Downing finished off a crisp, incisive, flowing move whilst Carlton Cole’s effort displayed West Ham’s ability to play direct as well.

West Ham were outclassed Southampton losing 3-1 at Upton Park with the Hammers having just 37% of the ball with only two shots on target to show for their efforts.

The game against Hull City despite being a 2-2 draw saw reasons to be optimistic about West Ham’s progress on a footballing front. It marked Enner Valencia’s first competitive start for Allardyce’s side and the Ecuadorian announced himself in style.

According to the BBC Sport website West Ham managed to complete 387 passes against Hull. To put that in context that was the highest number of passes completed by the Hammers in the Premier League away from home since May 2010 when Gianfranco Zola was in charge. The spirit that West Ham displayed twice coming back from behind displayed that they’re ready to battle also bodes well but perhaps their ability to fight back is due in no small part to the options they have up front.

Mauro Zárate, Enner Valencia, Diafra Sakho and Morgan Amalfitano offer West Ham a number of attacking options and cover. Last season the attack was dependent on and centered around Andy Carroll who spent a significant amount of time on the treatment table. Carroll at the moment is currently out injured. Sakho provides cover as a target man whilst Zárate, Valencia and Amalfitano offer creativity and flair in the final third. Behind the scenes the influence of attacking coach Teddy Sheringham cannot be underestimated either.

Equally, the loan signing of Alex Song could prove to be a shrewd move. Song admitted that Sam Allardyce convinced him to join West Ham and if the Cameroon international can recapture the form he displayed in his final season at Arsenal then the Hammers will have a player who can dictate the tempo of a game in midfield and set-up scoring chances. A midfield of Song and Mark Noble, who is an excellent passer of the ball, can give West Ham a platform to play a progressive style of football. Kevin Nolan could find it a struggle to get back into the starting 11.

Cheikhou Kouyaté has looked impressive since he joined from Anderlecht. He has the capability to bully opponents and has been compared to Patrick Vieira by Allardyce. Aaron Cresswell may be a less glamorous signing but the left-back has slotted in capably since moving to Upton Park. Carl Jenkinson and Diego Poyet joined this summer too in a busy window for West Ham.

Overall the squad, looks stronger this season than last. The additions appear to genuinely improve the tea m whilst they’ve got rid of the deadwood. It’s just a question of how quickly the team can gel together.

Despite making decent additions West Ham do need their stalwarts to perform. Perhaps the biggest concern is the form of Winston Reid who normally is a calming, solid presence at the heart of the defense. The defender who was at one point linked with Arsenal has not been at his best and that in part has contributed to West Ham’s leaky backline. Allardyce needs to coax the Reid back to his best if the Hammersare to shore up their defense.

To a degree this West Ham side is in transition. The onus to deliver entertaining football has forced Allardyce to go against his natural instincts. The attacking threat is more potent but the defensive solidity is not there and it is up to him to make everything come together. Big Sam should embrace the challenge because an argument can be made that he can only take a team to a certain level before leveling off. With this squad he has the tools prove his critics wrong.   If he can once again make West Ham a solid unit whilst developing the increasing fluency of play and keeping the attacking threat then he could guide his side into the top 10.

It’s a big ‘if’ but if the West Ham manager can go against his natural instincts and commits to a more progressive style of football then the rewards could be great. The question is whether Allardyce is willing to take that risk.

The potential is there but can West Ham realize it?

Team Rating: 2.5/5 – Not the greatest of starts but if they click then West Ham could be a dangerous side to play against.

BEST STARTING 11 (If all players are fit and available):

——————————–Adrián——————————-

Joey O’Brien – Winston Reid – James Tomkins – Aaron Cresswell

———-Cheikhou Kouyaté – Mark Noble – Alex Song————-

———-Enner Valencia – Andy Carroll – Mauro Zárate————-

STAR PLAYER SO FAR – Cheikhou Kouyaté