Unless Graham Potter can find a way to fix West Ham United’s Achilles heel – six set-piece goals conceded already in the Premier League this season – Danny Murphy may soon be discussing the putting talents of Rory McIlroy.
Because, speaking after West Ham United suffered a fourth defeat in five games across all competitions against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday night, the former England international gambled his livelihood on Potter’s ability to turn things around.
If the Hammers go on to suffer relegation this season, Murphy says with a wry chuckle, he will swap out his talkSPORT gig for a PGA role.
Now, West Ham know all about the risks of proclaiming a team ‘too good to go down’. They famously dropped into the Championship back in 2003 despite boasting such talents as Jermain Defoe, Michael Carrick, Paolo Di Canio, Joe Cole and David James, while that season’s points tally of 42 may prove to be beyond Graham Potter’s current crop.
Yet, despite watching on as West Ham suffered a 3-0 defeat by Tottenham last weekend, Murphy would still be stunned if Jarrod Bowen, Lucas Paqueta, Crysencio Summerville and Niclas Fullkrug are travelling to Preston or Portsmouth next season.
And not just because the quartet would likely headline a post-relegation exodus at the London Stadium.
Danny Murphy convinced Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta will save West Ham United
While Graham Potter did his best to pick out the positives from another heavy home defeat – desperate comments from a desperate man, some argued – Murphy feels that the head coach had a point.
He agrees that Tomas Soucek’s 54th minute red card was the turning point, Spurs went 2-0 up just three minutes after his dismissal, while the starts made by El Hadji Malick Diouf, Mateus Fernandes, Soungoutou Magassa and a returning Crysencio Summerville provide reason for optimism.
Captain Jarrod Bowen is capable of ‘world-class’ game-changing moments, too. And in Lucas Paqueta, West Ham have a Brazil international who was enjoying the longest scoring run of his career before dragging a first-half chance wide on Saturday.
“If you are the manager of a football club, if you watch a game back and you have to go and speak publicly, I don’t blame [Potter for what he said at full-time]. It’s not ridiculous for him to point out the positives,” argues former Liverpool, Tottenham and Fulham midfielder Murphy, speaking to talkSPORT.
“Fans who are a bit open-minded and not so passionate, if they go and watch the game back, [they will see that] the game changed on the sending off.
“I’m not saying West Ham would have necessarily got back [level]. Tottenham are well-organised. But the reality is the first-half, [like] the game at Forest, from an ‘are we progressing, does this look like a team getting better [perspective]…’
“The new signings have done well. Mateus Fernandes looks lively.
“They aren’t having a good time and they are not going to win football matches defending set pieces like they did,” Murphy admits, speaking after midfielder Joao Palhinha opened up on Tottenham’s plan to take full advantage of those weaknesses from corner kicks.
“There were some positives. There were also negatives.
“They are not going to go down. Not in a million years, because of Bowen, Summerville, Paqueta, Fullkrug. If you look at the firepower they have compared to some of the other teams, Leeds and Burnley…
“It doesn’t mean I am going to be right! I just don’t see [them getting relegated].”
Murphy admits Graham Potter must fix set-piece problems
As Nuno Espirito Santo admitted days before his sacking, Nottingham Forest could not cope with Summerville’s electrifying impact off the bench at the City Ground. Keep him fit, and the Hammers will have a forward capable of walking into the starting XI of most bottom-half clubs.
Former England striker Darren Bent believes West Ham have a 15-goal-a-season striker in Callum Wilson, too. Though their fate could yet lie on whether Potter can solve those very obvious issues at the other end of the pitch.
“They lost at Sunderland, they lost to Chelsea, and lost to Tottenham. In all three games, they couldn’t defend set-pieces [or crosses],” Murphy concludes. “If West Ham go down, I will change to golf commentary!
“I do understand the fans frustrations about the lack of legs in midfield, but the new lad [Fernandes] has added those legs. Ultimately, they’ve got enough.”
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