West Ham United have lost their way of late and so too it seems has manager Manuel Pellegrini.
West Ham were being widely tipped for a top six spot after a promising start to the season.
Indeed some were even backing the Hammers to challenge for the Champions League places.
West Ham’s form and results have dipped, though, with no win in five.
Fans have been frustrated by the drop off, many feeling it is yet another false dawn.
Pellegrini puzzler
But what has puzzled them most is a series of questionable substitutions from the usually cool, calm and collected Pellegrini.
The Chilean has attracted a lot of criticism for his tactics, team selections and substitutions in the last couple of months.
Some of it justified, some of it knee-jerk.
From regularly substituting Felipe Anderson, even when he has been no worse than others and has been working hard, to introducing Jack Wilshere when chasing the win against Crystal Palace rather than switching to two up front and bringing on Albian Ajeti.
The constant selection of Pablo Fornals in various positions except his best and favoured central role as the second striker.
Leaving out Ryan Fredericks against Sheffield United. And substituting man of the match Robert Snodgrass as West Ham were pushing for the win against the Blades, just after he had won and was about to take a corner late on.
Fans making feelings clear but is Pellegrini doing the same?
That particular substitution proved to be the straw that broke the camel’s back as the West Ham supporters booed the move.
Only Pellegrini and his staff know the rationale behind his tactics of late.
But is the manager trying to make a point to penny-pinching West Ham owners David Sullivan and David Gold over his lack of squad depth?
The divisive duo handed Pellegrini a paltry £25million net spend in the summer.
The club shipped out 11 players, many of them first team regulars, but signed just six.
Will penny-pinching owners get the message?
And only two of them were realistically signed to compete for a starting XI spot.
West Ham’s lack of strength in depth has already been exposed just a quarter of the way through the season.
Pellegrini is a Declan Rice or Sebastien Haller injury away from a crisis.
The Hammers needed two new full backs, another central defender, at least one more striker – if not two – and a box-to-box midfielder to play alongside and cover for Rice.
Pellegrini’s substitutions have made it clear he does not rate the likes of Ajeti. And his refusal to throw more bodies up front when chasing a game tells its own story.
Whether it will be enough to force Sullivan and Gold to loosen the purse strings in January only time will tell.
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