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West Ham, What Happened at Everton?

By Barrett Rouen

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 30: Simone Zaza of West Ham United in action with Phil Jagielka of Everton during the Premier League match between Everton and West Ham United at Goodison Park on October 30, 2016 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United via Getty Images)
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 30: Simone Zaza of West Ham United in action with Phil Jagielka of Everton during the Premier League match between Everton and West Ham United at Goodison Park on October 30, 2016 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Arfa Griffiths/West Ham United via Getty Images) /
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West Ham were shameful away to Everton last weekend.  The match against Stoke this weekend will be ever more important because of it.  With matches against Tottenham and Manchester United coming up West Ham will need to find some identity and character.  They will need to find it very, very soon.

I didn’t want to be right. Everybody I know thinks I love it and I do. But in this case I didn’t want to be. I said that if West Ham didn’t control the midfield or Romelu Lukaku they would lose.

I pointed out the exact specifics in which they could carry out this plan of action. They didn’t. As a result, they lost.

Reality Check

West Ham were on quite the little hot streak for a second there. The new formation was working well and things were on the up and up. Then West Ham played a good side. It wasn’t Sunderland and it wasn’t a bunch of children running around in Chelsea’s jersey’s. It was a real team of professionals. Men who put their children through school and pay mortgages based off their successes and failures and guess what happened? West Ham were soundly beaten.

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The match against Everton wasn’t even close. There was no point where Ronald Koeman’s very well drilled Everton side even looked like they were going to surrender an inch of the field. The Everton faithful turned Goodison Park into a cauldron and burned up any chance West Ham had of building a real movement out of their recent form.

Ross Barkley was allowed time and space in the midfield to operate.   Even though in the 3-4-3 Noble and Obiang surely know that their work rate is what makes the formation a success or a failure. Romelu Lukaku was given space to run onto the ball. He did so with aplomb. Finally Yannick Bolasie was given time and space with which to create for his teammates. All of these things were the true exact opposite of what needed to happen in order for West Ham to succeed.

What Next For West Ham?

The truth is this: West Ham need to start forcing some results.  Good teams win matches even when they are playing poorly. They force it. In life few things simply come easily to you. Few things happen without any effort on your behalf. This side shows absolutely no signs of having a backbone or the necessary character to force their will upon their opponents. This display was simply not good enough and they should be embarrassed. Most of all, they need to find an identity.

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However, the match against Stoke is an opportunity to put things right. Slaven Bilic will hopefully have laid into every single one of his charges this week. They no longer have cup football to play for and are struggling in the league. West Ham will this week have to decide if they are boys or men. The premier league is a league for men. It is unkind, it is cold and it is incredibly unforgiving. Given the way they have started this season we will need to fight tooth and nail for every inch they get back this year. Can they do it? Yes. The real question is if they will even try.