West Ham ruing decision to neglect defensive investment

While hotly anticipated matches can often fail to live up to expectations, Tottenham’s dramatic 3-2 win over West Ham on Saturday evening delivered exactly what was promised. A frantic seesaw of a match that saw a penalty awarded to either side as Spurs snatched victory from the jaws of defeat. There was even a red card thrown in for good measure as Winston Reid, who had impressed prior to the Hammers’ capitulation, was given his marching orders by referee Mike Dean. 

As sweet a victory as it was for Spurs, defeat left a sour taste in the mouth of manager Slaven Bilic. “We should have killed the game,” the Croat said in the aftermath of the encounter, but there are some who believe the West Ham boss shot himself in the foot. The decision to withdraw key man Dimitri Payet for Havard Nordtveit swung the tie back in Spurs’ favour, with the summer arrival bringing Heung-min Son down for the spot kick that Harry Kane subsequently fired past Darren Randolph to hand Spurs their first competitive win since the beginning of October. 

Payet is a player more than capable of helping alleviate danger on his team’s goal, with his ball retention qualities one of many stand out traits. Bringing him off for Nordtveit only welcomed further pressure on a defence that has struggled for large parts this season. Kane’s brace to go with Harry Winks’ second half goal means West Ham have shipped 23 Premier League goals this season; only Premier League returnees Hull (27) have conceded more, which is ironic for a team whose manager was a defender during his playing days. The West Ham defence has at times looked as watertight as a sieve this term and Bilic is the man responsible. 

While West Ham were hellbent on signing a new striker, they completely overlooked the need to strengthen the defence, the equivalent of buying an expensive security system for the front door and leaving the back door off its hinges. Of an outlay of just shy of £50m this summer, the Hammers spent just £6m to improve the defence to bring in Arthur Masuaku and the vastly experienced Alvaro Arbeloa. The former was only pursued because Aaron Cresswell sustained a knee injury in pre-season, while the latter was a free signing following his release from Real Madrid. 

It’s little shock, then, that West Ham are struggling defensively, with the side now too top heavy to launch a sustained assault on a European finish. The sale of James Tomkins to Crystal Palace and a failure to replace the centre-back is evidently having an adverse effect on the team. Bilic was then left with just Reid, James Collins and Angelo Ogbonna as his three centre-back choices, which is all the more puzzling considering that, after a disappointing start to the season, he has swapped from a four man defence to a back three. 

As such, it’s forced Cheikhou Kouyate into defence, thus robbing West Ham of one of their more effective midfielders and one of the Premier League’s unheralded stars. It’s a position the Senegal international can play, but he’s far more influential higher up the pitch where he can rob the opposition of possession and instigate attacks from midfield, while in the process easing pressure on the West Ham defence. Yet, without Kouyate in the middle of the park, the Hammers are far less solid with their tackles per game (16.3) the fourth lowest return in the Premier League this season, that figure dropping 18.7 last term. Unsurprisingly, the number of tackles Kouyate makes per game has also dropped (from 2.8 to 1.8) in an admittedly underwhelming campaign from the 26-year old. 

Bilic’s insistence on playing Kouyate at the back is only welcoming further pressure on the defence and it’s little shock that West Ham have kept only three clean sheets this season, two of which came against Crystal Palace and Sunderland, who sit 16th and 19th respectively. The decision to overlook defensive investment over the summer is wreaking havoc on their chances to replicate last season's success. 

And yet, West Ham continue to be linked with strikers in the January window. After missing out on Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Michy Batshuayi, Alexandre Lacazette and Carlos Bacca, the Hammers are reportedly turning their attention to out of favour Liverpool frontman Daniel Sturridge. It’s understandable given no West Ham striker has scored a league goal this campaign, which is a shock given the quality of attacking personnel at Bilic’s disposal, most notably Payet. However, with the team now one point above the relegation zone coming into a tough run of games - West Ham welcome Arsenal either side of Manchester United and Liverpool over the next three matches - the club’s decision to completely neglect the backline over the summer is looking more bewildering by the week. 

Bilic is now under pressure to turn the club’s fortunes around in the coming weeks with reports suggesting the West Ham owners are planning for life beyond the 48-year-old. For his sake, Bilic needs to work on his team’s defensive solidity - or lack thereof - or run the risk of losing his job, particularly with West Ham in such a perilous postion.