Would West Ham playing two up front be a stroke of genius or tactical suicide?

After West Ham’s recent run of poor form at both ends of the pitch, there have been calls for Manuel Pellegrini to switch from his usual formation of 4-3-3.

Many of these suggestions have involved the Hammers playing a striker alongside Sebastien Haller. And after the Frenchman’s form has tailed off, though certainly not the only one, this opinion is certainly not unwarranted.

Haller’s goalscoring exploits have taken a sudden dip, with no goals in his last three games. Though arguably more worrying is the fact that his overall play that was revered during the opening games of the season, has also taken a sudden hit.

Passes into feet that were sticking as he held up the ball impeccably no longer seem to be part of his play.

This is why the suggestion of a support striker has come to fruition. Another player up front who could take the burden off Haller in terms of keeping the ball up the pitch would give him more of a license to get in goal scoring positions, where he has recently been found wanting.

In addition to this, the strike partnership that he formed with Luka Jovic last season at Eintracht Frankfurt proved to work wonders, as Haller netted 20 goals in all competitions, while also registering an impressive 12 assists.

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However, the only other traditional striker that West Ham currently possesses is Albian Ajeti. The only Premier League action that the Swiss international has been granted this season is a mere three substitute appearances, so as of yet, he is completely unproven at this level.

Would throwing the former FC Basel man into the mix during this trying time be a smart move from Pellegrini? Another problem that the Chilean boss might face is the detriment that playing two upfront could have on the rest of the team.

His West Ham side are evidently lacking pace, energy and bite in midfield, even when he plays three in that region, so potentially dropping one of those three could be footballing suicide.

The only way to get around this, I imagine, would be to adopt a 5-3-2 approach, where more solidity at the back would complement the two in attack.

However, Pellegrini has not tested this formation out throughout his 31 year-long managerial career, so to expect him to start now at the age of 66 would be quite a reach.

The famous saying “you can’t teach old dogs new tricks” rings a bell here, but with Pellegrini’s reign becoming increasingly shakier, maybe the old dog will have to adapt if he is to turn his West Ham career back around.