It is always fun to look back on season predictions that were made back in August. Sheffield United were pipped to be in a relegation battle because of the thought that their style in the Championship would not translate well in the Premier League, Manchester City were seen as the clear favourites for the title, after having a better summer than Liverpool in terms of signings, and West Ham United were seen as a lock for a top 10 finish. Twenty-nine gameweeks later, Sheffield United are comfortably in seventh place, two points above Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool are 25 points ahead of Manchester City, and West Ham are in serious trouble when looking at the relegation battle. They are currently in 16th place, but have the same amount of points as both Watford and Bournemouth, the two teams who are in 17th and 18th place respectively. The only thing that is keeping them out of the relegation zone right now is their goal difference, which sits at -15. This season, West Ham have conceded 50 goals, only Southampton, Aston Villa and Norwich City have conceded more.
This is troubling though because West Ham were pipped to finish in the top half of the table this season, while expectations for the other three teams were significantly lower going into this season. While their attack could be better, West Ham have scored enough goals this season; it really has been their defence that has let them down. This tactical analysis will be a scout report looking at why West Hams defence has been struggling this season.
Usual Set-up
West Ham, regardless of the set up of their midfield, almost always play with a back four. In the Premier League this season, they have played with a system that includes a back four 71% of the time. Before his firing, Manuel Pellegrini often set up West Ham in a 4-1-4-1. His successor, David Moyes, has been a bit more fluid with his formations, experimenting with a 4-2-3-1, and a 4-4-1-1, but ultimately, his tried and trusted is a 4-4-2.
However, regardless of the formation that Moyes sets up West Ham in, they just seem to keep conceding goals and chances.
Passiveness
One of these reasons is the lack of aggressiveness while defending. They average 12.28 shots against them per game. This number is so high because the defenders are often unwilling to be aggressive against attackers, and usually will allow them to take the shot, in hopes that the shot will not be on target or that Łukasz Fabiański will be able to save it.
This lack of aggressiveness is not only the fault of the defenders. It starts from the midfield that is ahead of them. A midfield that is passive is dangerous; if the midfield is not taking initiative, the defensive line will be lax too, and more shots will come in. More shots equal a higher chance of the opposition scoring goals, obviously.
