Jarrod Bowen’s comments after West Ham’s 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa highlight a big mistake they made throughout the game.
Unai Emery’s side dominated the game from start to finish and ensured the Hammers would not escape the relegation zone.
Nuno Espirito Santo must now realise that they should have taken inspiration from Manchester United’s 3-1 victory over Villa last week.
- READ MORE: Dinos Mavropanos reveals true feelings on Jean-Clair Todibo injury before West Ham vs Aston Villa
A very underwhelming Villa Park defeat! 🙄
Describe THAT performance in one word…
West Ham showed too much respect to Aston Villa
Nuno initially selected five defenders before Freddie Potts replaced the injured Jean-Clair Todibo in the starting line-up.
The Hammers then played with four at the back, but still with a defensive-minded approach to the game.
Bowen’s post-match comments also reflected the observation that West Ham were fearful of Villa’s attacking options.
“Obviously, they’re a really good side…” he told West Ham TV. “We knew they’d be creative. I think even before, we were trying to tell people to be alive to anything they could do.”
Villa certainly were “creative” against Nuno’s team, taking 22 shots (seven on target) and scoring two goals.
Who is to blame for West Ham’s SHOCKING set piece record?
17 goals conceded now 🤦♂️
West Ham showed far too much respect to Emery’s side, who had been struggling in the Premier League recently.
The Villans had lost their last three league matches to Wolves (2-0), Chelsea (4-1) and Man Utd (3-1), with a combined score of 9-2.
Most recently, the Red Devils demonstrated how Villa can be shaky in defence and toothless in attack.
Therefore, it made no sense for West Ham to sit back and invite pressure when they could have unsettled the hosts, as their previous opponents had.
It was not surprising that the Hammers looked more dangerous in the second half after Adama Traore replaced Potts and the shape shifted to a 4-4-2.
Ultimately, Nuno should have recognised before the game that Villa were there for the taking and picked an attacking team accordingly.
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