West Ham continue to struggle at the wrong end of the table.
The Hammers are still in 16th place in the Premier League table, currently level on points with Bournemouth, who occupy 18th place. Despite spending nigh on £100m this season, the London outfit are actually far worse off this campaign than they were during the previous one. With just nine games of the season remaining, they are still in danger of a dropping down to the second tier.
There have been plenty of problems for both Manuel Pellegrini and David Moyes this term. Defensively, they have been one of the worst sides in the entire league – only three sides have conceded more than their 50 goals – and, although they have been slightly better going forward, they would have expected to be far more prolific than the 35 strikes they have managed considering they broke their transfer record to bring in forward Sebastien Haller last summer.
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Perhaps more importantly, though, and often overlooked, is the lack of creativity in midfield. This term, Mark Noble and Declan Rice have been most often used in the centre of the park, but they both have their limitations.
The former is a club legend for the Irons, whilst the latter has been the subject of interest from Manchester United in the past, yet they are both struggling to provide playmaking ability from that area of the pitch. Noble has averaged 0.8 key passes per match in the Premier League this season, whilst Rice has managed 0.4, and they have amassed just three assists between them. However, they both find themselves in the team’s top three in terms of touches.
That is a worry for West Ham. It is not as though they are lacking creative players – Felipe Anderson and Pablo Fornals are players who can average well over one key pass per game – but Rice and Noble’s lack of vision makes it hard for them to have a strong impact.
If they can secure top-flight status in this term, a new recruit in that role is necessary for them to progress.
Elsewhere, Davids Gold and Sullivan’s big call has done little to improve West Ham.