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Three reasons why West Ham could struggle this season
West Ham were the surprise package of the 2020/21 campaign. The Hammers finished sixth and secured themselves Europa League football for the upcoming season. Indeed, if they had earned just three more points over the course of the campaign, they would’ve had Champions League football to look forward to this year.
Very few expected West Ham to do as well as they did but manager David Moyes created a machine that could churn out results even when things weren’t going their way. In previous years, games that the London side would have thrown away the lead, they won. Games where they would have rolled over and conceded three of four after going 1-0 down, they equalised.
But will Moyesy’s men be able to replicate that this season? Or, was it just a fluke? Despite earning three points in their exciting opening game against Newcastle, here are three reasons why they could struggle.
Three reasons why West Ham could struggle this season
No Lingard
It goes without saying, if Jesse Lingard wasn’t brought in for the second half of last season then West Ham wouldn’t have finished in the Europa League placings. He was a revelation and their fast, counter-attacking style brought out the best in the England international. Simply put, he was unstoppable at times.
However, the issue with loan deals is that they do not last forever. Lingard looks set to stay at Manchester United this season, rather than returning to West Ham, as it stands.
Without Lingard, West Ham lose a lot of creativity, experience and a goalscorer from midfield. Said Benrahma looks the most probable replacement for the Manchester United academy graduate, he scored once and assisted six in 30 appearances last season. The Algerian set the Championship alight prior to his move to the Hammers but struggled to adjust with the pace and intensity of the Prem.
He is fully capable of being a presence in the final third, but will be able to fill the gap that Lingard has left on a regular basis?
Lack of depth for European competition
The position where West Ham have the best depth this season is between the sticks, where they are blessed with Lukasz Fabianski and Alphonse Areola, which highlights their biggest issue. Sooner or later, the relentless fixture list, plus the additional Europa League fixtures will prove costly, and when that happens they could be in big trouble.
Somewhere along the line Moyes may have to make a sacrifice, whether that be some league fixtures, the Europa games or even the prospect of a cup run. Trying to juggle the three is a recipe for disaster, history has proven that, look at Burnley in 2018/19.
An injury to Michail Antonio leaves them without a proven striker, they would have to either shift one of their wide players inside or play Andriy Yarmolenko, who has scored seven in 47 league games. In the heart of midfield their cover is Mark Noble, who is past his prime, and in defence they are relying on Issa Diop or Winston Reid, who played 10 times for Brentford last season, to slot in seamlessly.
Obviously, there are several young players who may be in the pipeline to have their breakthrough seasons this year – versatile Ben Johnson being the most obvious to be given more minutes. But whilst trying to consolidate yourself as a club that can compete for the top six, is now the time for relying on youth?
Non-existent transfer activity
Last season West Ham had a fairly busy summer transfer window in regards to outgoings but their incomings were precise. They signed Czech defender Vladimir Coufal, Benrahma and Craig Dawson – with a few fringe players and under-23s too. They knew where they needed to strengthen and did so. But just bringing in Areola on loan from PSG and Dawson, again, in this window so far is not concentrated business, it has a whiff of ignorance to it.
They need to be prominent in the remaining weeks of the transfer window if they are to improve. Defensively, they could sign improve on their centre back options. In midfield, they need some competition for the injury-prone Manuel Lanzini so that they can keep Pablo Fornals out wide. And in the final third, another winger wouldn’t go a miss – and that’s ignoring the elephant in the room, they only have one out and out striker.
Without digging into the finances, owners David Sullivan and David Gold would have had a fresh amount of cash enter their accounts from finishing in the Europa League placings, so why aren’t they spending it? Crystal Palace have bought in several players who would have been good signings for the Hammers, as have Leicester City. So there are players out there, they just aren’t getting them.
Moyes has said that he expects to strengthen his squad in the coming few weeks and has sent out multiple offers, but if they don’t then it could be a long old season for Irons supporters.
Overall
West Ham aren’t going to be in a relegation battle come May 2022 if they play as well as they did last season. However, with other clubs around them, who appear more ambitious, strengthening, it is hard to see them getting into the top six in the 2021/22 campaign.
The fans deserve to be in and around that part of the league but their squad could be stretched now that they have Europa League football on their plate too – unless they get knocked out early on, of course.
If Moyes and co manage to sign a few more players then they might just get by but they are a significant injury to one of their best players away from a disappointing campaign. A midtable finish beckons.
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