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Hammertime: Victory at the Week-End and Moving Forward

By Barrett Rouen

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Winston Reid (R) of West Ham United celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Sunderland at Olympic Stadium on October 22, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Winston Reid (R) of West Ham United celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Sunderland at Olympic Stadium on October 22, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images) /
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Victory over Sunderland for West Ham was a good step forward

The important thing to take from the match against Sunderland was the simple fact that West Ham won. Their can be no nuanced thinking or thoughts beside that. West Ham did not play well. In fact they were still quite bad in all meanings of the word. Yet, if there is one thing that a good side must do it is win when they are playing poorly and that is what they did here.

Sunderland are another side that like West Ham have more talent than their league position suggests. They are in the bottom half of the table despite having several international players and a sterling manager in David Moyes. If the Hammers are going to end up in the top-8 where they should be then matches like this simply need to be won.

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 22: Winston Reid (R) of West Ham United celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Sunderland at Olympic Stadium on October 22, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 22: Winston Reid (R) of West Ham United celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Sunderland at Olympic Stadium on October 22, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)9 /

At The Back

Winston Reid’s last minute winner put a shine on the game in which the defense was still weak and the attack impotent. It does appear that Slaven Bilic has decided to be proactive in his search for results as he like Chelsea’s Antonio Conte has switched to a 3-4-3 in recent weeks.

With this West Ham looked slightly uncomfortable in the first half but by the second they gained some fluidity. Fluidity is the most important thing to have in a 3-4-3 or really any of the hybrid formations in modern football.

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It will be important for the players to adapt quickly because the season is no longer newly born and West Ham simply must make progress. The good new is that Winston Reid was able to pull one out of the hat for West Ham this week and they should be able to take that positive attitude into their upcoming fixtures with pride.

On The Attack

Simone Zaza was not good in this match. After his hard working performance last week it is easy to understand some of the rumors linking him with a move back to Serie A. For a player with as much gusto and class as he, it has been disheartening to watch him play for most of this season. This writer in particular was hoping that he would build on his performance last week and even cap it off with a goal. That does appear to have been wishful thinking.

It was nice to see Dimitri Payet back out on the pitch and playing at full tilt. This West Ham side could not have more obviously missed him following his extended layoff after the euros. It might not be a good thing that the entire club is so deeply reliant on the fleet footed Frenchman but if one thing is truly undeniable it is that Dimitri Payet is class.

He’s the sort of player a manager wants to have in their side on the off chance that a moment of magic can change the outcome of the match for him. As Payet’s form continues to improve expect West Ham’s league position to as well.

LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 22: Angelo Ogbonna and Adrian San Miguel of West Ham United in action during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Sunderland at London Stadium on October 22, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United via Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND – OCTOBER 22: Angelo Ogbonna and Adrian San Miguel of West Ham United in action during the Premier League match between West Ham United and Sunderland at London Stadium on October 22, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United via Getty Images) /

Moving Forward

Finally, West Ham need to sort out the defense. Adrian has been heroic so far this year and it simply isn’t fair. If a goalkeeper of even a slighter lower level were to be in goal then West Ham would most likely be planted firmly in the relegation zone.

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Adrian is a magnificent goalkeeper and must be protected better. The three across the defense of Kouyate, Reid and Ogbanna need to show more strength and positioning ability or it will be a very expensive January for West Ham.

It was nice of Reid to chip in with the goal at the end but that is always my issue with defenders scoring goals. It often tricks people into misreading their performances because goals are exciting.

A defender has but one purpose on the field and that is to protect the goal with every single fiber of his body. Anything, besides that is extra and though extra stuff can be wonderful, fun and exciting it is still extra and cannot be the basis for rating a defenders success. The entire defense needs to improve and stop asking for heroics from their goalkeeper who has until this point been my player of the season for us.

Next: West Ham's Spine Reforged

Moving forward West Ham will want to start thinking of transfer targets that they can obtain during the January window. It seems pretty apparent but the club are in need of a destructive central midfielder and a central defender. Reece Oxford will someday be an excellent defender but that is not today and the Hammers need solutions immediately.