West Ham skipper Mark Noble suggested that he is at a loss to explain why his side have been defending set-pieces so badly recently, when writing his regular column for the Evening Standard.
The Hammers have been in woeful form recently. They have won just one out of their last 10 Premier League games. And they now sit in 16th spot in the table, just one point clear of the drop zone.
West Ham’s defending during that run has been particularly bad. They have shipped 21 goals in their last 10 games, and have worryingly let in nine goals in their last three home games.
The east London outfit are staring a relegation battle in the face. And they must sort themselves out soon or risk being relegated down to the Championship for the third time in the last 15 years.
Noble suggested that defending set-pieces has been the Hammers’ Achilles heel.
But he admitted that he is at a loss to explain as to why, when writing his regular column for the Evening Standard:
“That has been our Achilles heel in recent weeks and it is costing us dearly. Against Wolves, there was little or nothing in the game until, once again, we conceded a goal from a set-play. I’ve talked about this problem so many times I’m beginning to sound like a broken record. I’m struggling to work out exactly why we keep giving away set-piece goals, since we work on them constantly in training.”
Hammers must get the basics right…
West Ham face Southampton next. And nothing less than a win will do for Manuel Pellegrini’s side.
If the Hammers lose to the Saints and Aston Villa beat Sheffield United, they will be inside the bottom three at Christmas. And then there will be real reason for panic.
The West Ham players must get the basics right, if they are to turn things around. A clean sheet at St Mary’s is much needed. But as things stand, it seems as though Pellegrini’s side are incapable of achieving that.
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