Dear Slaven Bilic, We Need To Talk About The Defence
West Ham threw away a two goal lead yesterday against Watford, and it can’t happen again. If we have European ambitions the defence needs to improve. I won’t even mention the front four today as they did their job, but the other seven? Defensively awful.
Dear Slaven,
Let me start by saying I’m a big fan of what you’ve done so far in your tenure. You’ve made me excited to watch West Ham, you’ve put smiles on the faces of the fans and the players and given me some great memories. But we need to talk about the defence.
I like your attacking intent, but defensive organisation doesn’t have to be sacrificed. When you’ve gone 2-0 up the hard work going forward has been done. For Watford’s first goal where on earth were Noble and Kouyate? Byram is a young right back, why was he isolated so easily?
He was up against a top Premier League striker in Ighalo and for the most part he did well. He was trying to force him down the line but over committed when he thought Ighalo was about to cross, leaving Ighalo with the space to have a shot. Yes it was unlucky that it got the deflection, but Collins was far too deep. If he stands up further Adrian has a chance to deal with the deflection.
More from Analysis
- West Ham star Michail Antonio reveals nearly costly tactical mistake vs AZ Alkmaar
- West Ham eye transfer for highly-rated Korean star
- West Ham must build on belief vs Arsenal.. it’s now or never for David Moyes
- West Ham must consider this manager as a David Moyes replacement
- West Ham boss David Moyes on brink of sack AGAIN… why this can’t go on
But Kouyate was just ambling back into shot as Ighalo twisted and turned, after giving the ball away. If he gets back in time then Ighalo has to go down the line, making it easy to defend. And where is Noble, the supposedly more defensive of the two CM’s? We’re 2-0 up. They do not need to commit forward.
The second goal
was comical. The finish from Deeney was class, but it should never get there. A long ball forward bounces behind our defence. That’s already a cardinal sin. A centre back should be under that, clearing forward or back to keeper. Then the mix up is unforgivable. In my experience the player who can see more makes the call, so here it is Adrian. Collins either has to leave it or get the ball off the pitch.
He does neither, but instead of chasing the ball to put Deeney under pressure, the Watford striker is afforded the freedom of Stratford to take his touches and find the top corner with a great finish. It was embarrassing. I’d be annoyed if my Sunday league side did that today.
More from Green Street Hammers - West Ham
- Brighton vs West Ham predictions: Can James Ward-Prowse help end the curse?
- West Ham and two Premier League rivals made huge transfer stand
- Lucas Paqueta bet allegations discussed in West Ham and Man City transfer talks
- Bournemouth vs West Ham predictions: Premier League opener amid transfer chaos
- West Ham near Denis Zakaria transfer after final James Ward-Prowse bid
The third goal annoyed me the least. The ball should be under more pressure, from Noble again, so we could stop it there. However there were players back, and once again Byram had two players to mark. Either he’s not letting people know about that, or the midfielders aren’t doing a good enough job. As soon as the ball comes close to Ighalo Byram has to commit, leaving Capoue free. Antonio is too late covering and boom, goal.
The fourth goal is another case of blinkered defending. It’s like we can’t see threats until they call for the ball. The whole defence sits too deep, meaning we had two lines of defence inside our own box. This means Ighalo just had to roll the ball back to the edge of the box and it’s an almost free shot.
And yes, he hit it well, but Adrian should be dealing with it. A strong hand to it and it goes away and we’re still in. I’m a huge fan of the Spaniard, but maybe he needs to be shown he’s not undroppable.
Out of the four goals 3 of them were avoidable by people simply people doing their jobs. And we could have conceded more. It could have been a record defeat.
A few suggestions for next week:
- Attack v Defence Training all week. Defenders and goalkeepers need to know what each other are doing, and our attack seems to be pretty good when we actually have the ball. Simple organisation would be good.
- Get Arbeloa and put Byram under his wing. Byram is a good talent but his mentality is not Premier League yet. He will learn, but any tuition from a top right back will help. That’s one of the advantages of signing an experienced player.
- One of Noble and Kouyate must be behind the ball at all times. Nordtveit and Obiang do this naturally, but it seems Noble and Kouyate need explicit instructions. First job defend, second attack.
- Ogbonna has to play. He is our best centre back and seems to be in charge when he does play. His natural left foot also helps us distribute the play and keep possession when we’re 2-0 up and coasting.
- Randolph starts. Adrian wasn’t good enough. He needs to know his position is guaranteed. It may seem harsh, but we need to know our goalkeeper isn’t a liability.
Next: New and Improved: Top 5 West Ham Players for your FPL squad
West Brom will be a more defensive side than Watford, but they have some decent strikers. We cannot present them the kind of opportunities we did this week. Or ever again. Please Slaven, I don’t want you to be a one season wonder.
Sincerely,
Green St. Hammers