Life’s a pitch; a really big pitch in the case of West Ham’s HQ, the London Stadium. But is the playing area at the home of the Hammers impacting tactically on Slaven Bilic’s side?
Winger Michail Antonio, who has forced to pull out of the England squad with a hamstring injury which is likely to sideline him for up to a month, has suggested that the pitch size was a problem early on at the stadium after the switch from the Boleyn Ground.
But in an interview with BBC Radio 5 earlier this month, he said that he thought the Hammers were over their period of adjustment and had got their heads around the demands of the playing area.
Yet Bilic’s men have endured a woeful time of it since the turn of they year; and have lost five out of seven home games played, with one draw and one win. Prior to that, in 2016 and from the start of the season, they lost six, drew two and won five (including an EFL Cup victory over Accrington Stanley).
For the record the pitch at London Stadium is the standard size required by Premier League and UEFA Rules, 105m x 68m. At the Boleyn, the pitch was 100.5m x 68m; the confines of the old stadium meant dispensation was granted. By comparison, the pitch dimensions at Wembley Stadium are 105m x 69m
And the recent dip in form has meant that the Hammers have dropped to 12th in the Premier League after losing three games in a row; against Chelsea, Bournemouth and Leicester City.
Antonio said: “We’re not used to the pitch, we’re not used to the size of it. it’s massive. The Boleyn was a nice, tight ground, and we could get round pressing. Now we have to sit back and choose when to go. It has taken time but we have got used to it.”
Maybe they have and the defeats come down to loss of form, belief and confidence, brought on my apathy created by the fact that the side are out of danger from relegation and too far off pushing for a European spot.
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