Manuel Pellegrini’s greatest quality is, arguably, his calmness. He was brought to West Ham to bring attacking football and immense knowhow to the club; but his ability to remain level-headed is second to none.
After the Hammers’ poor start to the season, he will need all that serenity. Without a single point, his new signings are struggling and title-winner Pellegrini finds himself bottom of the league.
He will need to trust his ability to get the club out of their current situation. However, when asked where his side must improve, Pellegrini’s response may not inspire much confidence.
Speaking to the press after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat against Wolves, Pellegrini did not say an awful lot. However, when asked where West Ham must improve, he responded: “There are a lot of things I don’t want to analyse one by one. I think we need to defend better, we need to score more goals.”
That basic response does not inspire a great deal of confidence. Keeping the ball out and putting in the back of the net at the other end are two of the most basic concepts in football.
Hammers fans must hope that Pellegrini, privately, has a more in-depth idea of how to resolve their club’s issues.
None of the summer arrivals have made a real impact yet and Marko Arnautovic is the only player who has found the back of the net in the league.
Pellegrini’s calmness will be vital at a club so adept at plunging itself into discord and crisis; but that composure can soon be perceived as inaction if he is unable to stop the rot.
Scoring more and defending better is of course the aim; hopefully Pellegrini has a clear idea of how to make that a reality.
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